The Nigerian Government on Friday launched 30 start-up businesses by youths under the Villa Demo Day platform for technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo launched the businesses at an event attended by the founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg.

Professor Osinbajo also announced plans to collaborate with Facebook in coming months, expressing the belief that it will enhance entrepreneurial and innovative connectivity for Nigerian youths across Africa.

The Vice President said young people were being included in governance because of the quest for inclusion by the youths.

He told the gathering that the Villa Demo Day platform would be expanded to ensure more youths creativity and talents were put to use.

The Facebook founder’s first port of call at the Presidential Villa in Abuja is the office of the President, where he held a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, the Vice President and some ministers.

Mr Zuckerberg proceeded to the launch of businesses owned by 30 winners selected from over 4,000 business presentations under the recently introduced Villa Demo Day.

It is a platform established by the Federal Government to boost industrialisation and encourage entrepreneurship among youths in Nigeria.

The Vice President told the gathering that Mr Zuckerberg’s visit was both energising and exciting for Nigeria’s youths who he said were now included in governance by such opportunities.

For Mr Zuckerberg, the creative innovations are refreshing, for which he told the gathering that he would follow up on the innovative businesses to see how they would turn out.

Three outstanding businesses selected from the 30 winning businesses are to be given 3.5 million Naira each as support for their start up.

According to the government, plans are on to support the rest of the businesses, which cover agriculture, power generation, recycling and information technology among others, towards significant growth.

•Photo shows Vice President Osinbajo.

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