GEN Nigeria, the leading organisation in Nigeria committed to promoting entrepreneurship and nurturing the next generation of innovative leaders, has revealed that it will be attending the 2024 Global Entrepreneurship Congress Africa (GEC+Africa) event in Cape Town South Africa with one hundred and fifty entrepreneurs from Nigeria.
The disclosure was made at the GEC+Africa Lead Up event organised by GEN Nigeria and themed ‘Connecting Africa: Strides in the Nigeria Entrepreneurship Ecosystem’ in Lagos recently.
The keynote speaker at the event was the managing director/chief executive officer of CEO of Bank of Industry, Olukayode Pitan represented by Mr Obaru Osah and the event was attended by Providus Bank official, Bank of Industry (BOI) officials, top officials of GEC+Africa and some Nigerian entrepreneurs.
Apart from the 150 Nigerian delegates billed to attend the event on March 14th, 2023, fifteen (15) entrepreneurs from the various African countries’ delegations will be pitching for a seed fund of $100,000.
Speaking at the event, Dr Olawale Anifowose, Managing Director at GEN Nigeria said, “ The GEC+Africa Lead Up Event serves as a dynamic platform that showcases the finest elements of successful entrepreneurial ecosystems on the continent. It aims to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and networking opportunities, propelling African entrepreneurs to new heights of success.”
Anifowose, who spoke on the role GEN Nigeria is playing at the event stated that “At the heart of this event is the instrumental role played by GEN Nigeria. As a strategic partner for GEC+Africa 2024, GEN Nigeria is actively contributing to the facilitation of global opportunities for 150 Nigerian entrepreneurs.
Adding that “This lead-up event in Nigeria marks the beginning of a remarkable journey towards empowering and enriching the entrepreneurial landscape in the country.”
He said, “We are immensely proud to be a part of GEC+Africa Lead Up Event, as it aligns perfectly with our vision of fostering a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in Nigeria,” adding that “We aim to provide Nigerian entrepreneurs with the tools, knowledge, and connections they need to succeed, while also showcasing the immense potential of our entrepreneurial community on a global stage.”
Furthermore, Project Lead of GEC+Africa, Mrs Carmen Rossouw, said that “There is a need for Africa to build platforms that promote a stronger and better entrepreneurial ecosystem where entrepreneurs in Africa can share ideas, discuss common issues and give access for networking.
“The aim is to discuss issues pertaining to the growth of Africa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. The idea is to converge and discuss issues such as access to finance, cross border market access, taxation, technology and regulation. A peer review could be a catalyst we need Africa to catapult our Small and Media Enterprises (SMEs) sector.”
Mrs Carmen Rossouw added “The event will bring together 1,500 delegates, and over 30 ministers of trade and investments, to discuss issues around entrepreneurship and trade in Africa and create opportunities for startups within 46 African countries to network while investors and corporate organisations will have access to these SMEs”.
17 Nigerian startups and SMMEs showcased their innovative solutions, aiming to secure a spot among the top 15 African SMEs pitching at the GEC+ Africa stage. Excitingly, Wano, Strich Inc, and Schrödinger Technologies emerged as the triumphant winners!
These exceptional winners will not only join the prestigious Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan Atlantic University and GEN Nigeria Venture Builder program but also proudly represent Nigeria at the global stage of GEC+Africa in Cape Town, South Africa
GEN Nigeria is the leading organisation in the country committed to promoting entrepreneurship and nurturing the next generation of innovative leaders. As the strategic partner for GEC+Africa 2024, GEN Nigeria is dedicated to creating global opportunities for Nigerian entrepreneurs and driving impactful change in the entrepreneurial landscape
