A total of 9,000 youths in the Niger Delta have acquired entrepreneurial skills in the LiveWIRE programme of The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) since it was introduced in 2003 as part of efforts to boost employment opportunities among people aged 18 ? 35 years. The recipients were trained and supported with start-up grants and business mentorship enabling them to launch their own businesses and become employers of labour.

The latest training, sponsored by the SPDC Joint Venture which includes the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, TotalEnergies and Nigerian Agip Oil Company, involved more than 1,000 young entrepreneurs from host communities in Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta states. They graduated last week in Port Harcourt having developed business plans and pitched them to experts as part of the training. 654 trainees were selected as best-performers.

?We?re delighted at the success of the LiveWIRE programme,? SPDC Director and Head Corporate Relations, Igo Weli, said at the graduation ceremony. ?This training is set aside for young people from our host communities which means they can also enjoy the benefits of the programme and join the teeming number of entrepreneurs, several of whom now have the chance to participate in SPDC?s business as vendors. LIveWIRE is one of many ways through which Shell and her partners are powering progress in Nigeria.?

The graduation ceremony featured a technical conference with the theme, ?Unlocking Growth: Leveraging Policies to Build an Inclusive Tech Eco System in the Niger Delta.? The keynote speaker, Iyke Kemabonta, and panelists, Soala Jumbo, Davies Awongo, Kalada Briggs, Vivien Ene and Ezieke Amaefula, challenged the beneficiaries to grow their businesses, overcome environmental challenges and enable the Niger Delta to reap the rewards of the programme.

Trainees from the 2023 Regional LiveWIRE programme from Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, Imo, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River and Edo states also joined the graduation ceremony. Beneficiaries were inducted into the LiveWIRE Alumni Group by three previous participants who now run their own businesses ? Precious Adeho, Queen Esther Bolou-Ebi and Kalada Briggs. The trio encouraged the recipients to use the opportunity as launching pads into international recognition and success.

In a notable achievement, five previous beneficiaries won the LiveWIRE International ?Go and Trade Enterprise Linkage Award? which enabled them to embark on trade visits to London, Dubai, Malaysia, and neighboring Ghana. Livewire Nigeria also offers beneficiaries the chance to compete for the Global Shell LiveWIRE Top Ten Innovators Award which comes with huge rewards.

LiveWIRE is Shell?s global enterprise development initiative for small businesses and is active in 18 countries. As at 2023, the programme had trained about 3,400 people and helped create more than 1,200 jobs around the world.

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