Gov. Yahaya Bello Bags Hive Africa Inclusion Award, Urges African Leaders To Concentrate Resources In Building Entrepreneurship In Young People

By Ismail M. Kabir

The Executive Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Bello has bagged the Hive Africa Inclusion Award 2021 for his unwavering support towards women development in Africa.

The award was presented to Gov. Bello at the 6th edition of the Hive Global Leaders Program held during the weekend at Lilygate Hotel, Lekki Lagos.

The Kogi State governor who was represented at the event by his Special Adviser on Special Projects, Honourable Abdulkareem Onyekehi Suleiman, commended the organizers for recognizing leaders with high sense of inclusiveness in governance.

Gov. Bello further acknowledged the role of entrepreneurship in building global economies for sustainable development.

In his keynote address, Gov. Yahaya Bello stressed the effort of his administration in strengthening entrepreneurship among women and youth of Kogi State.

He noted that his administration has done a lot in upgrading the core business education available to Kogi citizens especially the youth. 

The governor said that "We have revamped facilities for business education in our tertiary institutions. We are aggressively focusing on the advancement of modern technological knowledge with a vocational application, including business". 

Citing the steps taken by his administration to enhance business growth in the the state, Gov. Bello made reference to some of the notable strides currently aiding entrepreneurship development in the state.

"In December of last year, we founded the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara. CUSTECH, which is a world class STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) complex has since commenced academic activities. The nascent business curriculum here is designed to train students for enhanced success as entrepreneurs.

"At Obajana, Kogi State we are taking advantage of the Dangote Foundation/VDMA Centre for Vocational Studies where some of the best training and internship opportunities in engineering, technology and business in the country exist. 

"At Lokoja the state capital, precisely within the premises of the Kogi State Polytechnic, the Kogi State and South Korean Governments are collaborating on the Nigeria-Korea Friendship Institute of Vocational and Advanced Technology (NKFI). The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) which oversees NKFI on behalf of the partnership is renowned for cutting-edge interventions as a development partner". 

He further assured that the graduates of the programmes would come equipped with knowledge and innovations to breed and brood the nucleus of a technologically advanced Kogi State, and indeed Nigeria.

Gov. Bello affirmed that it was their duty as leaders to concentrate resources sufficiently enough on raising outstanding business leaders out of our youth, as doing so will be simultaneously raising the next wave of innovative leaders who possess the additional qualities needed to guide our society out of the present doldrums.

He concluded that entrepreneurship gives young people opportunities for excellence and success as business founders, owners and managers while he assured that the "knowledge, skills and character imparted by entrepreneurship are also useful and forceful in successful leadership roles, especially in governance".