SAB Miller plans youth empowerment programme in South East

In the bid to invest in the future of youth in Nigeria, especially the South East, Intafact Beverages Limited, Onitsha, Anambra State, has concluded arrangement to train 50 youths drawn from the five states in the South-East zone on business entrepreneurial skills.

According to the company, the major objective of the empowerment programme is to ensure that the teeming youth in the region realise their entrepreneurial dreams and help the region further reduce undergraduate unemployment by engaging them meaningfully through this entrepreneurship programme.

In a press briefing held recently at the company headquarters, Onitsha, Lukas Van Deventer, the general manager of Intafact Beverages, said the programme tagged “Kick-start Bold Step” was meant for youth between the ages 18 and 35 years.

Deventer said: “The programme is aimed at creating and developing the culture of entrepreneurship among young people by promoting business skills, managerial awareness and material supports.”

The programme will help reduce unemployment and improve life of the youth in the region, he said, emphasising that the programme is SAB Miller’s Social Corporate Investment initiative (CSI) on poverty alleviation and sustainable enterprise development in the areas where it operates by assisting young people.

To benefit in the programme, the general manager said: “Applicants within the age range of 18 to 35, who live and have businesses or business ideas in Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi are eligible to apply. They should come to the company headquarters with their original ideas for their start-ups, or small businesses concepts and try to convince the management to invest in them.

“Our judges will review and select viable proposals for screening after which, successful applicants will be trained for the period of one month on how to articulate their businesses and make them viable,” adding that final winners will emerge and be given mentorship supports for one year with grant to help maximise their business potential.

Deventer recalled that the “Kickstart” Programme was launched in Ilesha, Oshun State recently, adding that it had been implemented in many countries including South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Tanzania, among others.