By Fortune Abang
CORE Fundamental Inventors (CFI), an international Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), has empowered 100 young people through digital training to boost the Federal Government’s drive on business innovations in Nigeria.
Igbereyivwe Israel, the group Chairman of CFI, while addressing participants at the maiden edition of the CFI empowerment initiative in Abuja, said that the aim is to support government in its drive to bring 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.
According to Israel, Nigerians are full of ideas today, but we do not have enough funds to harness these ideas, hence the free empowerment programme initiative for young people.
Israel said, “So CFI is bridging the gap between investors and the entrepreneurs who lack adequate funds through digital training; currently we have some funds on ground and look at partnering government to help young people.
“This is to help youths, because there are lot of innovations in Nigeria, but no one there has been able to bring these people together.
“So this is a platform created to reach out to those in the street that have ideas, but do not have the funds to reach their goals; we want to support government in empowering at least 300 youths.
“Those we know have ideas that can move Nigeria forward, we are still looking for other entrepreneurs and inventors, both local and international to partner with, so that we can really achieve targets.
“We are going into core technology, digital training and partnering government to train young people, to enable them contribute meaningfully to the growth of Nigeria.”
He explained that empowerment initiative seeks to enable young people become self-reliant, in terms of strategies of internet market place, crypto currency, internet-based residual income, entrepreneurship, inventions and technology branding.
In separate interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), a beneficiary, Ms Zahra Abubakar, expressed appreciation to CFI for the knowledge gained, which has improved her skills in technology.
Abubakar, a student of Kogi State University and overall winner in the competition at the event, said that the programme connected students with business experts.
“Those with business ideas, but do not have funds to start and need support; we presented our business plans via power point and were assessed based on ways that is profitable to invest in.
“I did a presentation on poultry farming, knowing that demands for poultry products is high and supply is low, so I pressed for more production and won.
“The programme was free; if government can partner with CFI it would go a long way to reach other people across Nigeria,” Zahra said.
Another beneficiary, Mukhtar Bala of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that the programme created avenues for young people, not just to innovate business ideas, but achieve targets.
Bala, decried the practice by young graduate who wait for government alone to provide jobs, saying platforms like CFI empowerment programme could enable people become self employed.
“It is an avenue for us to bring up hidden talents among young Nigerians, people who search for start-ups entrepreneurs with marketable ideas and have no ability to sell such.
“They brought us together to showcase ourselves to the world, so I think there is need for government to partner with CFI, to achieve desired goal,” Bala said.
The programme started on Dec. 4, 2020 through application via www.cfinventors.org, www.cfinventors.com or bplancficontest@gmail.com and presentation of business ideas presented in digital form.
CFI seeks to promote the realisation of Nigeria business dream through human resource development.
