Diamond Bank has continued to showcase its passion for youth development, youth empowerment and support for young entrepreneurs through the National Youth Service Corps Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (NYSC SAED) initiative as it rewarded a set of Youth Corp members for the third year in a row.
Speaking at the NYSC orientation camp at Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos, Chinenye Nwosu, the Product Manager of Diamond SWAG – (Student With a Goal), a prime financial product for students in tertiary institutions and young graduates, stated that the NYSC SAED (Skills Acquisition & Entrepreneurship Development) initiative is aimed at preparing all corps members towards the development of their business ideas, whilst teaching them to harness innate entrepreneurial skills in the face of huge unemployment challenges in Nigeria.
According to her, the “lion’s den” is the business plan competition that wraps up the SAED activities at the end of every camp season, adding that apart from the winners of the business plan competition, there will also be five lucky winners that will emerge. The winners will be paid N5,000 pocket money every month for one year by Diamond Bank.
In her address, the wife of the Lagos State Governor, Her Excellency, Mrs. Bonlanle Ambode, urged the Corp members to take full advantage of all opportunities and programs made available to them in the camp and during the service year as it will arm them for the next phase of life after the one year national service.
She also encouraged them to stay safe, obey constituted authorities and be great ambassadors of the NYSC program and their Alma Mata.
Admonishing the Corp members, Abiosun Folawiyo, one of the past winners of the BET (Building Entrepreneurs Today) program, another platform through which Diamond Bank grooms and supports young entrepreneurs, urge them to think out of the box, find a workable goal and run with it.
He said: “No matter what your dream is, if you back it up with a great passion, tenacity and with quality support from a great institution like Diamond Bank, the sky is your starting point”.
Prince Mohammed Momoh, the NYSC State coordinator in his speech, applauded the Corp members for their excellent behaviors in the camp and encouraged them to participate fully in all camp activities and take advantage of all opportunities presented to them like the SAED as it is aimed at equipping them to be active participators in the economy.
The event which started with Platoons 1, 2, 4, 8 and 10 competing for the crown, saw Platoon 4 with the highest points to win the business plan competition. They were rewarded with three sets of table top refrigerators for the representatives of the platoon and a cash prize for the platoon.
