Two
of the Nigeria's brightest young minds just experienced a life changing
opportunity. Along with over 1000 nigerians they entered for fortune
enhancing competition, The Enterprise Challenge and emerged winners.
This
development secured the duo, Eseoghene Ise Odiete and Nasir Abdulqadir
Yammama the out of the world yearning of the most serious of minds, a
master class session with extra ordinary success - Sir Richard Branson
(along with other life changing accompaniment).
Here are details of this marvel as provided.
Two
of Nigeria’s brightest young entrepreneurs have had a business master
class from Sir Richard Branson, after winning a competition by British
Council and Virgin Atlantic in partnership with Zenith Bank.
Eseoghene
Ise Odiete and Nasir Abdulqadir Yammama won the Enterprise Challenge -
an online competition for Nigerians entrepreneurs aged 18-35 and living
in Nigeria or studying in the UK. The Apprentice-style competition took
place over three rounds, during which candidates wrote an essay on their
entrepreneurial journeys, created a video pitch for their businesses or
business plans, and had their ideas scrutinised by a panel of experts
in Nigeria and the UK.
The mentoring session between the two
winners of the enterprise challenge competition and Sir Richard Branson
took place on the 1st of July in London. The session was designed so
that the winners could ask about and learn from the magnate’s life and
business experiences. At the end of the meeting it turned out to be more
than a mentoring session, it was a master class which everyone
benefitted from.
Sir Richard Branson, Founder and Chairman
Virgin Group, said Virgin Atlantic is delighted to have supported the
Enterprise Challenge program dedicated to supporting young Nigerian
entrepreneurs and fostering new ideas.
Innovation has been an
important part of Virgin's heritage and I was pleased to see so many
young Nigerians keen to embrace new ideas through the competition. Many
congratulations to Ese and Nasir who had fantastic business plans and
I’m sure will have very bright futures.
Eseoghene Ise Odiete runs
Hesey Designs - an online store selling African-inspired accessories,
which also helps to empower and mentor other young African women. She
said: “It was an awesome experience meeting and learning from Richard
Branson; one that will change my life and business and take it to a
whole new level. I am super grateful for the opportunity.”
Nasir
Abdulqadir Yammama, a postgraduate student at Middlesex University in
London, won with a business plan for a mobile phone app called Verdant
to help crop farmers. He said: “The Enterprise Challenge has been a
remarkable competition which I thoroughly enjoyed. I believe it has not
only developed my skills but exposed me to a whole new way of looking
things from writing to pitching and presentation. Also, the calibre of
people I have been able to interact and network with is the absolute
thing every aspiring entrepreneur and innovator wishes to associate
with. And meeting Sir Richard Branson was a priceless opportunity that I
will continue to value immensely. I have been able to acquire so much
wisdom and inspiration that I feel ready and bound to exceed all
expectation.”
Over 1000 young Nigerian entrepreneurs entered the
competition - which was organised by British Council in partnership with
Virgin Atlantic and with financial support from Zenith Bank in order to
help talented young Nigerians develop their entrepreneurial skills.
In
addition to their meeting with Richard Branson, the winners each
received a £5000 grant, courtesy of Zenith Bank to help them develop
their businesses, a fully-funded scholarship to attend a five-day
entrepreneurship foundation course at the Branson Centre for
Entrepreneurship in South Africa, and two return tickets to the UK
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