NIGF 2018: Nigerian youths offered one million for digital businesses

Nigerian technology company, O-mobile Multimedia Limited on Monday announced at the ongoing Nigeria Internet Governance Forum (NIGF 2018) that it is offering Nigerian youth entrepreneurs one million naira in capital to begin their digital business. Benjamin Aduli, CEO of O-mobile says that lucky young entrepreneurs stand the chance to get a credit worth one million Naira to begin digital small and medium scale businesses across Nigeria. Aduli who dropped this hint at the NIGF 2018 Conference in Abuja says his company has built a platform where ''intending entrepreneurs who have nothing other than an idea to becoming a full digital entrepreneur can fully access.'' Day One of NIGF 2018, which started Monday in Abuja was devoted to the youth as a pre-event,with the theme “Internet for Opportunities, Value Creation and Empowerment.” “I will not say too much but let me just talk about iroko TV. As at 2011, iroko TV was valued at 800,000 dollars, but some people bought ten percent of iroko TV at that time and bought it for I think 80,000 dollars. Now iroko TV is valued at 24 million dollars. iroko doesn't have cameras, they don't have studio, they don't have anything, but they are selling more contents than any, those of us that are from Lagos.'' [caption id="attachment_60375" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Photo by Aduragbemi Akinpelu of Technology Times shows cross section of attendees on Monday at the opening day of the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum (NIGF 2018) underway in Abuja.[/caption] Aduli told participants at the event that his company have partnered with Electronic Switzerland to provide a ten million dollar grant for digital economy in Nigeria that will provide beneficiaries first, a sub credit; two, a platform to develop their skills, and three, a platform to sell their skill. “Starting from October, each of these youths qualify for a credit of a million naira each to a digital small and medium entrepreneur business, but we expect you to have a business plan, and your business plan must be able to employ a minimum of three people”, he says. According to the O-mobile CEO, “So what we are therefore offering you is the opportunity for us to use a digital share infrastructure to create SMEs across the country, who can really drive the growth of the new Nigeria in a new Africa where we can create jobs without waiting for government.'' [caption id="attachment_60376" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Photo by Aduragbemi Akinpelu of Technology Times shows Benjamin Aduli, O-mobile CEO at the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum (NIGF 2018) underway in Abuja.[/caption] He explains that O-mobile has also partnered with Computer Based Training Center Owners Association of Nigeria (CBTAN) who are currently working with JAMB with over 700 centres in Nigeria and equipped with 275 computers each. “These centres only works for four months in a year and they wrap it up and wait for the next JAMB. So for eight months, 275 computers multiplied by over 700 are online and waiting for the next JAMB to come. They are all over the country. So we have come into partnership with them to now set up these centres as Digital Economic Centres where as an SME you can walk in at anytime lease a computer for just three dollars a day (N1,200) will have access to a computer with Internet for eight hours, and you can run your business”, Aduli says. We are therefore interested in the pilot of this game with 500,000 youths. What is my definition of youths? Anybody between the ages of 18 and 35, who is a computer literate or is interested in becoming a computer literate even if you are not a computer literate, yes! What do you need to do to become part of this digital economic pioneers, just be able to have a means of making transaction over the Internet, and what is that, just a wallet. Once you have a wallet, the digital wallet that we give to you, you can pay and you can receive, you can grow your business from there, and what do we offer you, starting from October all of these youths qualify for a credit of a million naira each'', according to him. Speaking in same vein, Barrister Femi Daniels of the eGovernment Unit of the nation’s IT agency, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) wants Nigerian youths to use the power of the Internet to amass wealth for themselves and become financially-dependent.” “I will not say too much but let me just talk about iroko TV. As at 2011, iroko TV was valued at 800,000 dollars, but some people bought ten percent of iroko TV at that time and bought it for I think 80,000 dollars. Now iroko TV is valued at 24 million dollars. iroko doesn't have cameras, they don't have studio, they don't have anything, but they are selling more contents than any, those of us that are from Lagos.'' Daniels told the attendees at the event that: “So let us not underestimate what we can actually do if we put some of these digital angle to all the businesses. The things we are seeing now, if we put the digital dimension to it, you will surprised how far we can go.''

NIGF 2018: Nigerian youths offered one million for digital businesses

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