We are making quality investment in young entrepreneurs says TotalEnergies

 UGO AMADI

Poised to boost investment in the nation’s economy, TotalEnergies Nigeria has announced the commencement of the third edition of its Startupper of the Year Challenge, designed to support young entrepreneurs in Nigeria and the African continent.

The Executive General Manager, TotalEnergies Country Services, Mrs Olubunmi Popoola-Mordi,  made the announcement during a virtual news conference in Lagos.

According to Popoola-Mordi  the Startupper Challenge was designed to support and reward young entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 35 who had created a company in the past two years.

She said that the projects would be assessed based on their innovative character, feasibility and development potential as well as how they relate to the Sustainable Development Goals as defined by the United Nations.

According to her, the 2021 Startupper Challenge will take place in 33 African countries and is a reaffirmation of TotalEnergies commitment to the socio-economic development of the continent.

Popoola-Mordi said: “For Nigeria and in other countries, there will be winners in three categories.

“Best Business Creation Project, Best Startup under three years old and Best Female Entrepreneur.

“Each winner will be given N5 million financial support, personalised coaching and mentoring , networking opportunities as well media visibility.”

She said the winners for Nigeria would thereafter compete with their peers from other African countries for the three grand prizes of Grand Winner, Best Business Creation, Grand Winner, Best Startup Under three years old and Grand Winner, Best Female Entrepreneur.

Popoola-Mordi said entry applications for the competition would begin on Nov. 4, while the winners would be announced in April 2022.

Also speaking, Mr Opeyemi Owosho, winner of the first edition of the Startupper Challenge, said the opportunity had helped him grow his company to a bigger brand.

He said apart from the financial reward, the training and mentoring by TotalEnergies had helped the company develop a more sustainable business model in the last few years.