Nigeria – Multi award winning TV Anchor and Executive Producer of Moneyline with Nancy on Africa Independent Television(AIT), a business and economy television programme, Mrs Nancy Nnaji in partnership with Jaiz Bank Plc are set to empower young Nigerian entrepreneurs with the requisite skills and funding to succeed in their various fields.
The collaboration was established during the inaugural Personal and Business Acceleration Masterclass (PABAM), a Mrs. Nnaji program designed to produce entrepreneurs and corporate leaders.
Dr. Sirajo Salisu, in the event described PABAM as a fantastic idea that requires all the assistance it can get to succeed. Managing Director, Cowry Asset Management Ltd, Johnson Chukwu; the Chief Operating Officer of Cosgrove, Elizabeth Taylor; Chief Executive Officer of Brave Icons Global Ltd, Fife Banks and a former Presidential Candidate, Dr Tope Fasua, the Executive Director, Business development (North), Jaiz Bank were attendees of the special programme.
Salisu stated that the bank recognizes the value of entrepreneurship to the Nigerian economy and added that it would offer graduates of the Masterclass program who had a strong business plan the necessary technical and financial support.
Suraju, who is also the Managing Director-designate of Jaiz Bank Plc, announced that he will personally take over the mentoring of five Masterclass alums.
He commended the program’s organizers for their foresight and gave them the assurance that the bank will continue to support them in future iterations.
In her welcome speech, Mrs. Nnaji stated that the Masterclass program’s goal was to equip Nigerians with business insights and better wisdom to thrive.
She continued by saying that brilliant thinkers and businesspeople hold the key to the future of the globe, and as a result, deliberate efforts must be made to develop Nigeria’s future leaders.
She said, “This conference is an idea whose time has come. I am poised to help you through taking action beyond today.
“We are grateful to Jaiz Bank for making that commitment at assisting people both technically and financially. So, my vision for this is that beyond the conversation, we want to see businesses that will be assisted so that in a year’s time when we have this programme, we will be able to guage and measure that these are the businesses that we have been able to assist since the last Personal and Business Acceleration Masterclass.
“Going beyond television where we speak about the economy, business, finance and the rest, we want to hand-hold people and teach them what they need for their businesses to grow.”
She said through the Masterclass Programme, experts would be able to provide entrepreneurs with the required knowledge to ensure their businesses are bankable.
Nnaji added, “It’s like me giving back after so many years. I created this because many of us don’t focus on the bottom of the pyramid, a lot of us focus on the big people.
“Banks don’t assist MSMEs as they should, you will see a lot of stringent collateral conditions and some of these businesses don’t have enough information to equip themselves.
“They don’t have simple record keeping, you can’t just go to the bank to borrow loans, you must be able to have adequate record keeping, put fundamental business processes in place and that is why I am also doing this.
“We want to teach the small business people how to put this in place.
“The Jaiz Bank MD-designate has said that even in his own personal capacity, he would like to mentor five businesses and that is very commendable coming from Jaiz Bank MD.
“This is apart from what they would do as a bank for the businesses they would be introduced to here. They would hold their hands and assist them.”
In his address, Mr. Tope Fasua commended the establishment of PABAM, noting that it is at the heart of entrepreneurship, and pledged his support for the initiative’s expansion.
