Director General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, SMEDAN, Hon. Bature Umar Masari said the Students Advancement for Global Entrepreneurship, SAGE has exposed young Nigerians to strategies of developing entrepreneurship. Masari stated this on Sunday night in Abuja where Nigerian contingents beat 16 other participating countries to win the 2013 SAGE world cup for the sixth time in the Social Enterprise Business, SEB category in which China came second. In the Socially Responsible Business, SRB category, the young Nigerians also came second after the Chine participants who lifted the cup. According to the SMEDAN boss, entrepreneurship is one of the vital tools to grow the economy, create jobs and banish poverty from any nation. He said, “It is through the establishment of more small and medium enterprises, SMEs that more jobs could be created, wealth generated and poverty banished from the society”, assuring that the federal government would continue to give youth empowerment priority in its programme. To this end, Masari, who was appointed as the global patron of SAGE by its founder and chief executive, Prof. Curtis Deberg on the occasion, announced the award of N500, 000 annually to successful participants from Nigeria in the competition. The director general described the hosting of the 2013 entrepreneurship competition as another clear indication of the present administration’s commitment youth development in the country. “The federal government is ready and has been doing everything to ensure that youth empowerment is given the right support in every initiative taken by the government. “That is why SMEDAN, which is the agency saddled with the responsibility of leading the fight for the development of SMEs in the country, is properly being repositioned, funded and empowered to ensure that we continue to provide leadership and direction for small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurship development in the country.” In his remarks, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi said “investments in youth’s entrepreneurial capacity as future leaders of national economies is not only desirable, but must be pursued with vigour”. “Central Bank of Nigeria is committed to collaborating and supporting initiative such as SAGE’s, which develops next generation of entrepreneurial leaders, in order to resolve the unmet needs of the global community”, he said. Sanusi, who was represented by the CBN’s director of finance development, Mr. Paul Nduke Eluhaiwe also assured that the bank would make SAGE Nigeria teams one of its “financial literacy champions” in its campaigns. The Global SAGE founder and chief executive, Prof. Curtis Deberg in his brief remarks, noted with delight that the SAGE alumni have continued to involve themselves in youth empowerment programme to reduce unemployment and poverty in the society. President of SAGE Nigeria, Mr. Agwu Amogu said the competition was meant to consciously re-orientate the young people about the power of entrepreneurship to make them succeed in life. “To SAGE, poverty is not as a result of lack of resources, but inability to galvanise them. We will continue to sensitise the young people to galvanise the human and natural resources in the country”, Amogu said.
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