NYPF launch N.5bn Grant for Entrepreneurs and Scholarship for Students.

Press Release: NYPF launch N.5bn Grant for Entrepreneurs and Students.

As part of efforts to grow more indigenous entrepreneurs, encourage the culture of self-reliance and deepen the Nigeria economy, the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF) in partnership with Heritage Bank and its development partners have launched a N500 million special seed fund
(YESGrant) for young Nigerians on Tuesday 22nd March 2016.

According to the Director of Communications Miss. Owomilere Obe, the scheme was borne out of the need to address the enormous challenges young
people go through in their quest towards achieving set goals in their small scale businesses and in their academic pursuits. She noted that the grant will enable young entrepreneurial postulants with creative ideas in Agriculture, ICT and creative industry start or expand their business
concepts and provide over 500 Nigerian students schooling locally or abroad with tuition to pursue their academic dreams and aspiration in the areas of research and technological/scientific innovation.

“The main objective of the NYPF (YESGrant) Programme is to deepen the Nigerian economy by deliberately encouraging and supporting aspiring entrepreneurs in Nigeria to develop and execute business ideas that will lead to massive job creation and also paying tuition for indigent students so that they can be relevant to the society by having relevant skills that employer’s needs. Jobs are a foundation of economic and social development, improving living standards, productivity and social cohesion.
Jobs are responsible for moving people out of poverty”. She said.

Owomilere, therefore encouraged all to apply through the grants online
application system that will be available at www.yesgrant.com and provide
all supporting documentation on or before June 2016 to be eligible for the
first year disbursement to award recipients in August 2016.

To qualify for YESGrant, prospective recipients must be between the ages
of 18- 40, be registered members of the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum
(NYPF), and be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)
using their registered companies and have an account with Heritage Bank
prior to disbursement of fund. Student’s award recipients must In addition
provide their matriculation number and academic progression report.

Speaking during the launch of the YESGrant Scheme by the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum in partnership with Heritage Bank, which took place at the Four Point Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria.

Chairman, NYPF, Moses Siloko Siasia, (erstwhile Governorship candidate Bayelsa state) said he was inspired by the big impact small businesses can have on the economy and that was why the grant was created to provide incubator support to enable young entrepreneurial postulants with creative ideas in Agriculture, ICT and creative economy start or expand their business concepts in those areas.

Moses Siloko Siasia

"I have built businesses from the scratch and I understand the challenges people face and that is why I am optimistic that if given the necessary support, young Nigerians will not only grow the Nigerian economy, they will completely revolutionize it."

The Nigerian Young Professionals Forum, a non-governmental organisation that has been in the forefront lead of building the next generation of business frontiers through intervention programmes for young Nigerians.

Moses Siloko Siasia (Middle) with The NYPF team

In 2015, over 1000 carefully selected entrepreneurs made up of young business
owners residing in Nigeria and in the Diaspora met at the International
Conference Centre in Abuja for the debut of the Young Nigerians CEO’s Conference and Exhibition 2015 organized by the NYPF. The conference with the theme, “Promoting Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Building Economic Leaders for Tomorrow” afforded young entrepreneurs in Nigeria the opportunity to exchange ideas with their peers from other parts of the world and also served as a platform for the young business owners to discuss challenges they encounter in their operations and its impact on the Nigerian economy.

Interested beneficiaries should visit www.yesgrant.com and register as a member of NYPF to access the grant.

My name is Moses, and I will lead my people to the
Promised Land – Moses Siloko Siasia, Bayelsa State
Governorship aspirant

Posted by Admin

Moses Siloko Siasia is a a 34-year-old successful
Nigerian businessman who has decided to contest
the Bayelsa state governorship election
having waited patiently for a chance to change the
political environment in Bayelsa state. He believes
that he has what it takes to take Bayelsa state from
the backwater fringes to the Promised Land.
Below is the Press Statement released by the 34-
year-old successful businessman announcing his
intention to contest Yenagoa, Bayelsa June 9, 2015:

My name is Moses Siloko Siasia. I am a young successful Nigerian
businessman who has decided to run for office of
the Governor for my home state of Bayelsa,
Nigeria. The age limit to run for the office of
Governor in our constitution is thirty five. I have
waited patiently for a chance to change the political
environment in Bayelsa and on June 7th of this
year, I turned thirty five and I am ready to run. I am
a native of Bayelsa and a self –made successful
businessman who until sixteen years ago, was a
street vendor who scrounged for money and food
to survive. Determined to take myself and family
out of poverty, I worked day and night literally to
gain a foothold in the very challenging private
Nigerian economy.

After consulting with my family and friends, and
based upon the tremendous outcry from my home
state for help, I have decided to run for the office of
Governor of Bayelsa. For far too long, my people
have suffered from political oppression! Despite
being one of the wealthiest states in Nigeria, with
an abundance of natural resources, Bayelsa has
one of the highest unemployment rates in Nigeria.
Our children do not have modern schools or tools
to educate them. Our students abroad are stranded
without resources to complete their education. Our
infrastructure has been neglected resulting in
dangerous impassable roads, lack of potable water,
and basic human hygiene. Our older citizens have
been abandoned and left to die in poverty and poor
health. Our young, internationally educated young
men and women have been denied the opportunity
to run for office, and told that “the office of the
Governor is not for boys”. Young citizens of Bayelsa
who today seek change are being threatened and
intimidated for speaking up against the current
regime. Fear mongering and intimidation has no
place in Bayelsa and the time has come to end this
madness and take back our state from lying,
thieving, self-serving politicians.

Since Bayelsa became a state in 1999, there has not
been any private economic growth. Our people rely
solely on the allocation of Government funds to
survive, but the money never trickles down to them
due to wastefulness, mismanagement of funds, a
lack of leadership and self-serving agendas. Our
people have been cheated, lied to, misled,
neglected, and held in political bondage for far too
long and it is time to set my people free. My name
is Moses, and I will lead my people to the Promised
Land! I am running for Governor because it is time
to take back our state and usher in a new era of
leadership and prosperity for the people of Bayelsa.
Today, the youth of Bayelsa is crying for real
measureable change. The future of Bayelsa is in
dire straits. Our youth, the custodians of our future
are here to take back our state!

In July 2015, I will formally declare my campaign in
Bayelsa, and on Election Day, will make history as
the youngest elected person to the office of
Governor in the history of Nigeria. It is time for us,
the educated, proven successful business minded
professionals to lead. The office of the Governor is
NOT a trust fund for individualistic self-serving
agendas. It is the highest office of the state charged
with the responsibility of its people. As a successful
businessman, I will govern the state with a firm grip
on accountability and charge all those who will
work with me with great responsibility and high
integrity. I will bring in much needed international
investments and create sustainable and meaningful
private sector jobs. It is time for all foreign
contractor who come here year in and year out to
reinvest in our state. No longer will we allow the
world, and our current leadership to take
advantage of us. I aim to give hope to the hopes
and give voice to the voiceless. The time for real
measureable change is now! I am Moses Siloko
Siaisia and I am running for the office of the
Governor of Bayelsa to lead my people out of
political bondage and to a land of prosperity!