By CHARLES IWUOHA

An aide to Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Mr Chidi Ilogebe, on Wednesday inaugurated a monthly youths’ entrepreneurship grant of N50,000 per five young entrepreneurs in the state.

The monthly grant would be given to five young and striving entrepreneurs, resident and doing their business enterprise within the state and between the ages of 20 and 30 years old.

Presenting N50,000 cheques to five beneficiaries for the month of March in Enugu; Ilogebe, said the grant was meant to complement empowerment programmes running inthe state.

He said that Gov. Ugwuanyi had given the young entrepreneurs platform to excel with the grant and other empowerment packages in the state.

According to him, the government empowers 50 traders in the state with N50,000 each for five years running and gives free-collateral soft loans for apprentice start-ups of between N50,000 and N300,000 through the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) centre.

”I must thank the governor for the platforms he has made available to young persons in the state and for his passion for growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) development in Enugu State,” he said.

The governor’s aide encouraged the beneficiaries to keep pushing and striving to be better entrepreneurs so that they could in turn help others to grow economically.

He said that beneficiaries of the monthly grant would be continued to be monitored and guided by already established entrepreneurs in the state to ensure that they grow as well.

“Nothing is too small to turn the tables around as an entrepreneur, it only takes determinations and courage for the odds to tilt to your favour.

“A lot of destinies are tied to our lives, so we must push and strive to grow the capacity to help others.

“His Excellency the Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, has given us platforms to excel as young persons, so, I enjoin us to grab these opportunities with both hands,” he said.

Ilogebe, however, noted that the money for the grant was from his monthly salary; adding that it would continue as long as the present administration in the state last.

Responding, one of the beneficiaries, Mr Christian Eze, applauded the governor’s aide for selecting him among hundreds of other young entrepreneurs to be among the first set of beneficiaries of the grant scheme.

Eze, who is into graphics and printing services, said: “I hail Gov. Ugwuanyi for giving young people a chance to show their leadership content.”

Another beneficiary, Miss Eunice Agwu, who runs an event, rental and cooking venture, said that the grant would go a long way in getting more event materials, utensils and condiments to improve her business.