Renaissance Africa Awards Grants to 215 Niger Delta Youths, Launches NRISE

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited has awarded grants to 215 young entrepreneurs in the Niger Delta to enable them to start, strengthen and expand their businesses.

The Vice President, Relations and Sustainable Development, Renaissance Africa, Mr. Igo Weli, disclosed this yesterday in Port Harcourt, at the graduation and award ceremony of beneficiaries of the company’s Regional Enterprise Development Programme and Ofoni/Lalagbene Enterprise Development Programme.

Weli said the 215 beneficiaries emerged as top performers from more than 21,000 applications received for the programme, following a rigorous selection process, training and business-plan development.

He described the high number of applications as evidence that the Niger Delta was not short of ideas, ambition and entrepreneurial potential despite the economic challenges confronting young people.

“Thousands of young men and women across the region are developing ideas, identifying opportunities and seeking opportunities to build businesses,” he said.

According to him, the initiative forms part of Renaissance Africa’s broader efforts to invest in people, create opportunities and promote sustainable development across the Niger Delta.

Weli urged the beneficiaries to remain disciplined, patient and consistent, stressing that building a sustainable business required commitment and resilience.

“As you receive your certificates, awards, and grants today, I encourage you to see them as seeds rather than harvests,” he said.

“A seed has potential, but potential alone does not guarantee a harvest. It requires care, discipline, patience, and consistency. The same is true of entrepreneurship.”

He further advised the entrepreneurs to focus on solving real problems, creating value, building customer trust and continuously improving their knowledge.

“Success is not measured only by how much money you make, but also by how many opportunities you create for others,” Weli said.

The event also witnessed the launch of the NNPC Renaissance Initiative for Sustainable Enterprise (NRiSE), an enhanced enterprise development platform designed to build on the 22-year legacy of the LiveWIRE programme.

Weli said LiveWIRE, operated under the former Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), had trained about 11,000 young entrepreneurs across the Niger Delta and supported businesses that remained operational.

He said several beneficiaries had gone on to become employers of labour, suppliers, business partners and role models in their communities.

“NRiSE is more than a change of name. It represents an enhanced enterprise development platform designed for emerging business realities,” he said.

He explained that the new platform would provide mentorship, incubation, business advisory services, market linkages and stronger partnerships to help enterprises start, survive and grow.

Also speaking, the Acting Chief Upstream Investment Officer, NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS), Mr. Olanrewaju Igandan, commended Renaissance Africa for sustaining the enterprise development initiative.

Igandan said the programme had equipped the beneficiaries with practical tools and knowledge required to become successful entrepreneurs.

“What you take away from this room today is just more than a certificate. What you take away is empowerment,” he said.

He urged the graduates to grow their businesses and create employment opportunities for other Nigerians, adding that young entrepreneurs needed opportunity, structure and sustained support to translate their potential into successful businesses.

“This is precisely what the programme has provided, and this is what NRiSE, formerly known as LiveWIRE, will continue to provide,” Igandan said.

One of the beneficiaries, Ms. Anita Ngere, Founder of Nebis Tech, said the programme gave her clarity, confidence and exposure to opportunities that accelerated the growth of her business.

Ngere, who had started her business before joining the programme, said the training enabled her to connect with people, explore new opportunities and access seed funding to acquire needed items.

She added that the knowledge gained through the programme had also encouraged her to pursue grants and incubation opportunities.