The Future Project in collaboration with Microsoft Nigeria has introduced the Accelerate LABS initiative, designed to boost the economy through youth enterprise development.
Accelerate LABS is the activation of small and medium scale business engines to accelerate economic development through enterprise development and technology. Through this intervention, the initiative will equip 2,160 youth across the six geopolitical zones in the country to build socially inclined, high profit, and highly competitive enterprise capable of impacting the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.
Announcing the initiative, Citizenship Lead, Microsoft Nigeria, Olusola Amusan, said; “Microsoft, through our YouthSpark initiative seeks to empower the youth population of Nigeria to imagine and realise their full potential by connecting them with greater opportunities for education, employment, and entrepreneurship, helping them create a real impact for a better tomorrow.”
Deputy Chief Operating Officer, The Future Project, Bukonla Adebakin, said: “We are delighted about this partnership with Microsoft Nigeria, it will serve as part of our mission to build a network of empowered citizens through jobs, entrepreneurship, and active citizenship, which is in line with the Microsoft YouthSpark mission to increase access for all youth to learn.”
According to her, by the end of one year, we would have empowered young people to develop empathy, find clarity of purpose and the needed resources to build socially responsible enterprises in their communities. We will have youth across Nigeria leading the frontiers of change in various disciplines.
Each geo political zone would be represented by a host state that will serve as a hub to incubate these businesses. Accelerate Labs will be in three streams with each stream running for three months. Each stream will include three weeks training session, four weeks mentoring session, three weeks research and practice and a demo day for pitching of business ideas to prospective investors.
