By Dipo Olowookere
Nigeria’s most innovative banking service provider, Heritage Bank Plc, has partnered with Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC) of the Pan African University (PAU) as part of its strategic plan to identifying and supporting Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSME) in the country.
The bank supports EDC to also celebrate ‘Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW)’, a celebration of the innovators and job creators, who launch start-ups that bring ideas to life, drive economic growth and expand human welfare.
During one week each November, GEW inspires people everywhere through local, national and global activities designed to help them explore their potential as self-starters and innovators.
It helps people in 160 countries unleash their ideas and turn them into promising new ventures—creating jobs, accelerating innovation and strengthening economic stability around the world.
To this end, Heritage Bank, well known for supporting small businesses, has deliberately focused on the SME segment in a bid to create a fresh set of vibrant entrepreneurs that will create jobs and distribute wealth in the Nigerian economy because of recent statistics which indicate high unemployment among the youths that make up a large percentage of the population.
The event see chief executive officers among other discuss with SME operators and train them on a variety of issues on how to grow their businesses.
According to a statement from the bank, “Both entrepreneurship and participation of women in the workforce are powerful accelerators for sustainable economic growth, yet women continue to remain as one of the most untapped resources in the world.
A total of 421 small business start-ups professionals were produced this year.
Heritage Bank and EDC are providing new networks and better access to capital to help women entrepreneurs overcome barriers along their path to success and encourage others to follow their path.”
The Director of EDC, Pan African University (PAU), Dr Peter Bankole, while speaking at the event was quoted in the statement as saying that, “This is the grand finale of Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) for 2016 where we bring graduates under this platform to dine and wine in a special way and more so, to celebrate them as great achievers.
“What makes this year’s unique is that EDC and Heritage Bank have produced another set of vibrant graduates at a period when the nation is in need of their acquired skills to help equip themselves and others which can cause reduction on the negative impact recession has caused the nation’s economy.
“Recession is bad for every sector in the economy hence, there is the need for individuals to wake up from slumber and take action especially by attending subsequent editions of EDC/Heritage Bank programmers as solution.”
Adedapo Adesanya 
Modupe Gbadeyanka