By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Small business owners have been urged to submit entries for the 2021 Entrepreneurship Training Programme organised by the Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) Plc.
The training scheme is expected to commence from August 16 to October 14, 2021, but entries for the programme will open from July 5 to August 1, 2021.
Interested Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) would be required to apply through the bank’s online application portal at www.devbankng.com.
Business Post reports that intending candidates must be 18 years and above and must be citizens as well as legal residents in Nigeria. They must be available to commit to the training schedule once accepted.
Additionally, the businesses must be based and registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in Nigeria, across all sectors. A total of 1,000 would be selected by the lender for the training.
The MD/CEO of DBN, Mr Tony Okpanachi, disclosed that, “Upon submission of the application form, an email confirming receipt will be sent to the applicant within 24 hours.
“Applicants will be screened and shortlisted at the close of the application based on the eligibility criteria and selection will be carried out using the defined selection criteria from the pool of shortlisted applications.
“All successful applicants shall be informed by email and phone calls, using the details supplied on the application portal.”
He said the programme will be implemented in phases over three months and participants would be empowered with the requisite business knowledge and skills to upscale their businesses amidst the challenges of the new normal posed by the COVID-19 Pandemic.
“As a Development Financial Institution established to bridge the financial gap through our Participating Financial Institutions, our strategic focus is providing liquidity, credit guarantee, and capacity building for MSMEs to be more productive.
“The capacity building initiative is an integral part of the bank’s mandate to drive economic growth by empowering MSMEs with the skills required to improve their capacity and productivity.
“So, our objective, in a nutshell, is to equip entrepreneurs across sectors of the Nigerian economy with the requisite management skills to develop viable business plans, access funds, and effectively manage their business growth. Through this training, we will enhance their entrepreneurial and managerial competencies,” he added.
However, Mr Okpanachi emphasised that the programme does not qualify any participant for grants or guaranteed loans at the end of the training.
But he assured that successful candidates would benefit from the content and advisory services which will be given by industry experts in addition to the DBN Entrepreneurship Training Certificate.
Adedapo Adesanya