Business

Register and attend the Paylink digital MSME bootcamp

25 Mar 2021 By ummiyusuf

Paylink, in partnership with Google, is organising a digital bootcamp to equip micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with relevant digital skills required to scale their businesses and reposition for growth.

Paylink is an e-commerce platform that empowers businesses to showcase their products and services online and get paid instantly through multiple channels.

The virtual Digital Business Bootcamp is for both online and offline merchants and would take place from 11am to 1pm, in three sessions:

  • Brand Building on March 25 2021
  • Business Growth on April 22 2021
  • Tools for Business Management on May 20 2021

The Digital Business Bootcamp is expected to empower 10,000 MSMEs with digital skills and technology required to enjoy the ease, flexibility and opportunities necessary to thrive as enterprises.

Google has a standing commitment to help 500,000 SMEs grow and digitise their businesses with new tools, financial support, and trainings.

Registration is free!!! To get started, click the link below:

bit.ly/PaylinkBootcamp

FATE Foundation’s Business Recovery Program for Young Entrepreneurs

26 Feb 2021 By ummiyusuf

FATE Foundation has launched the Business Recovery Programme (for youth) to support young Nigerian entrepreneurs hit by the economic impact of covid-19.

The Foundation in collaboration with  Standard Chartered Foundation, aims to support 2000 young entrepreneurs through the program which will be run throughout the year 2021.

FATE Foundation will provide a holistic package of support including Digital Transformation Workshop, Resilience Building Series, and Remote Consulting & Advisory services to be delivered virtually to 2000 entrepreneurs across Nigeria.

The key target segments are:

  • Young entrepreneurs (between the ages of 18-35)
  • Female entrepreneurs (a minimum of 50% will be targeted)
  • Micro-entrepreneurs (as defined by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) – businesses that have less than 10 employees and are valued at less than 5 million Naira).

Visit www.fatefoundation. org for more information or click on the link below to apply. Application is free!!!

https://www.fatefoundation.org/project/youth/

Call for Applications: IITA/IFAD AgriHub Nigeria Project 2021 for the Unemployed Youth

17 Feb 2021 By ummiyusuf

The International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Songhai center in Nigeria, will be implementing the AgriHub Project, directed towards realizing IFAD’s vision in empowering African youth through the establishment of a network of youth-centered Agribusiness Hubs in Nigeria.

Services offered by the Hub include;

  1. Capacity building, training and mentoring
  2. Technology transfer
  3. Technology testing, demonstration, and certification facilities
  4. International networking and collaboration
  5. Policy advocacy and market intelligence; and
  6. Links to investors and other financing sources.

The IFAD Agrihub project in Nigeria aims to create sustainable employment and income generating opportunities for young people in agriculture and related activities in Nigeria by directly reaching 3410 young men and women within five years (30% for entrepreneurial track and 70% for employment track).

Register for free on www.agrihub.youthagripreneurs.org/training-application/

Deadline for application: 27th February, 2021

Grow your enterprise by applying for the Guaranteed Offtake Stimulus Scheme

11 Feb 2021 By ummiyusuf

Are you a Nigerian National?

Have you registered your business name with CAC?

Are you ready to produce under NAFDAC and SON specifications?

Do you have a verifiable BVN and Bank Account Number?

Do you have upto 2 or more staff members?

If yes,then you are qualified to apply for the Guaranteed Offtake Stimulus Scheme which aims to protect and sustain the incomes of vulnerable MSMEs in this pandemic.

The products captured under the scheme are in two categories; processed foods, and sanitization and cleaning.

To apply for the fund and get more details about the scheme, visit www.survivalfund.gov.ng. Registration is free!!!

Opportunities for Youth at the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development

22 Oct 2020 By ummiyusuf

Have you registered your business with the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports Development?

Register today and gain access to various business intervention/support programmes including funding.

The Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development is the outcome of the merger of the defunct Federal Ministry of Youth Development (FMYD) and the National Sports Commission (NSC) with a mission to provide sustainable framework for the formulation and implementation of policies, programmes and other initiatives which promote and enhance youth and sports development in collaboration with stakeholders.

Some programmes developed by the Ministry aimed to assist youth and youth owned enterprises includes;

  1. National Youth Investment Fund (NYIF)
  2. The Work Experience Program
  3. IBM Digital -Nation Africa training

To register, visit youthandsport.gov.ng or dy.ng

Boost your business by applying for the N60 billion MSME Survival Fund and N15 billion Guaranteed Off-take Scheme

29 Sep 2020 By ummiyusuf

As we adapt to the pandemic, terming the current condition as the ‘new normal’ and as restrictions are gradually being lifted by the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, MSMEs are still struggling to survive while dealing with increased cost of production, low sales due to increased prices of output, high cost of raw materials, inability to cover the cost of labour and many others. These problems have also led some MSMEs to close down their business thus increasing the unemployment rate in the country.

To further cushion the adverse effects of the pandemic on the growth of MSMEs, the Federal Government has taken another step to introduce the N60 billion MSME Survival Fund and N15 billion Guaranteed Off-take Scheme as part of the Nigerian Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP), to boost the economy by saving existing jobs and creating new job opportunities.

The fund aims to assist MSMEs by providing;

  1. Payroll support to MSMEs in meeting payroll obligations
  2. Free CAC Business registration for 250,000 new businesses
  3. Artisans/Transport support
  4. Grant of N50,000 for 100,000 MSMEs adversely affected by the pandemic
  5. Means for bulk purchase of products for 100,000 MSMEs

Target beneficiaries of the funding schemes include; Registered MSMEs, employees of MSMEs and self-employed individuals.

Registration is on!!!!

For more information and details on registration, visit www.survivalfund.ng

FCT One- Stop-Shop: Business regulators under one roof

27 Jul 2020 By ummiyusuf

The FCT MSME One-Stop-Shop was officially commissioned by the Vice President of Nigeria on 6th September, 2018.

The One-Stop-Shop brings together business regulators under one roof with the aim of providing a platform for convenient, continuous and and easy interaction between the government agencies and Nigerian-based MSMEs.

The One-Stop-Shop destination for FCT is the Abuja Enterprise Agency Entrepreneurial Complex, located at Plot 74, Sector Centre ‘A’ Cadastral Zone B15, Jahi District, Abuja.

The building is open to members of the public to visit and access services of various business regulators including;

  • Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)
  • National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)
  • Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS)
  • Industrial Training Fund (ITF)
  • Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC)
  • Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON)
  • Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM)
  • Bank of Industry (BOI)
  • Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN)
  • Nigerian Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL)
  • National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)
  • Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI)
  • Bank of Agriculture (BOA)
  • FCT Microfinance Bank

You can also follow the One-Stop-Shop on its instagram and facebook pages using the following links: www.instagram.com/ossabuja/ and www.facebook.com/ossabuja/

Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton Africa 2020: Inspiring female entrepreneurs across Africa

09 Jul 2020 By ummiyusuf

Are you a woman who owns and runs her business?

Is your business innovative?

Do you need grant to expand your business?

Do you also need expert training to help grow your business?

If your answers to all these questions is YES, go ahead and apply for the  Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton Africa 2020, and stand a chance to win N5millon and attend a mini MBA.

Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton Africa is an initiative of Access Bank, designed to provide female owned businesses across Africa an opportunity to access finance and World-Class business trainings as well as mentoring opportunities.

This being the 2nd edition, will provide up to N9million financial grant for female entrepreneurs and a unique capacity building program coupled with a mini MBA training in collaboration with ITC.

To apply, click the link below:

Womenpreneur.ng

Application Closes August 14, 2020.

Non-interest loans for farmers and MSMEs

24 Jun 2020 By ummiyusuf

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is set to establish a policy on non-interest loans which will be integrated in its intervention programmes especially the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) for farmers, and the Targeted Credit Facility for households and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) affected by the current pandemic.

The Bank’s Director, Development Finance Department, Yila Yusuf, made these disclosures at a stakeholders’ meeting held in Abuja to review the successes recorded so far under the ABP and the strategies for the 2020 agricultural wet season.

Furthermore, the intervention is expected to create about five million jobs down the agro-commodities value chains stimulate Nigeria’s speedy economic recovery.

So, how can MSMEs, households and farmers gain access to these non-interest loans when it is officially announced by the CBN?

One can begin by applying for the CBN interventions such as the ABP, Targeted Credit Facility, and others, because the the non-interest loans will be integrated with these programs.

To read more about the CBN interventions, visit nmfb.com.ng

CBN introduces intervention scheme and grants for Research and Development in Healthcare

16 Jun 2020 By ummiyusuf

As part of its policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central Bank of Nigeria has introduced the Healthcare Sector Research and Development Intervention Scheme (HSRDIS) to help strengthen the public healthcare system with innovative financing of research and development (R&D) in new and improved drugs, vaccines and diagnostics of infectious diseases in Nigeria.

The main objective of the scheme is to provide grants for Research and Development in the Healthcare system, whereby researchers and local manufacturers can come up with vaccines, drugs and herbal medicines towards the treatment and prevention of communicable and non-communicable diseases, including the Corona virus.

The Scheme also aims to boost domestic manufacturing of critical drugs and vaccines to ensure their sustainable domestic supply and reduce the bulk manufacturing costs.

The Scheme, which will be funded from the Developmental Component of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Fund (MSMEDF), enables access to grant of up to N50 Million for research activities and a maximum of N500 Million for Development/Manufacturing activities.

For detailed guidelines and eligibility to access the scheme, click the link below:

https://www.cbn.gov.ng/Out/2020/CCD/Healthcare%20RnD%20intervention%20guidelines.pdf

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