YouWin winners Emerge; 6 Given Presidential Awards!
Presidential awards were presented to six winners under the YouWin Programme. The award is in the sum of N500,000 to six winners from each of the geopolitical zone. However, 1200 youths have also emerged winners of the Youth Enterprise with Innovation (YOUWIN) programme, a Federal Government Scheme to encourage innovation and job creation.
The winners were chosen following a transparent and painstaking process that lasted several months. The winners are 1,200 youths from different parts of the country whose submissions and presentations were adjudged the best in terms of innovation, job creation potential and relevance to the nation’s economic needs.
The scheme was launched by President Goodluck Jonathan with a focus on creating an enabling environment for job creation and innovation by Nigerian Youths.
The YOUWIN idea is simple but compelling: to encourage enterprising and talented youths with grants, technical assistance and mentoring to become job creators not just for themselves but other youths as well. The idea had been tested and proved in India and other places.
Announcing the completion of the first cycle and the emergence of 1,200 winners out of 24,000 winners, Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala described the successful completion of the first cycle of YOUWIN as good omen and a vindication of the President’s focus on job creation.
“We are quite pleased with the results. The President’s vision has been vindicated.
“YOUWIN is a statement of faith in the ability of the youths of this country to achieve results not only for themselves but for their other youths and the whole country. The results show that Nigerian Youths from every part of the country are talented, hard working and enterprising. They have risen magnificently to the challenge”.
At the inception of YOUWIN, the President articulated the following objectives all of which have been achieved:
1. Attract ideas and promote innovation from Nigerian youth entrepreneurs.
2. Identify and train 6,000 entrepreneurs whose existing small businesses or new business ideas show promise.
3. Identify 1,200 winners based on their business plans, including at least 150 in each geo-political zone.
