Fidelity Bank Plc has reaffirmed its commitment to grow small businesses by supporting efforts geared towards capacity building of entrepreneurs and youths in Nigeria.
The bank in partnership with Flame Academy and Consulting organised its maiden edition of Business Entrepreneurship,Empowerment, and Professionalism (BEEP) conference, in Lagos at the weekend.
With the theme, ‘Developing professionals, improving businesses,’ the BEEP conference focuses on developing human capital through partnerships for conceiving, designing, implementing and managing ethical and sustainable solutions for empowerment.
In his keynote address, the Managing Director, Fidelity Bank Plc, Nnamdi Okonkwo, said the bank identifies with Flame Academy because of its passion for growing and nurturing young entrepreneurs in the country.“Flame identifies with the Fidelity Bank’s vision of creating platform for capacity building for the youths and small businesses. Therefore, Fidelity supports the BEEP 1.0 conference because it is in line with our vision of building the next generation of young entrepreneurs that will grow into conglomerates in the next few years.”
According to Okonkwo, Fidelity Banks sees the youth population as the heart of Nigeria, and the critical engine of growth, just as the bank believes strongly in capacity building for supporting small businesses.
Okonkwo, who was represented by the General Manager, Ikeja branch of the bank, Ken Opara, said skill building is the best way to grow as an entrepreneur. According to him, most of the entrepreneurs in Nigeria currently operate at the micro level; a position he believes has to change through collaboration.“Entrepreneurs don’t just do business rather they identify opportunities and take advantage of it,” stated Okonkwo.
In his welcome address to the participants, Managing Director, Flame Academy and Consulting Limited, Orji Udemezue, said the conference is to help refocus the level of education and training in Nigeria.
“Most organisations pay lips service to training and human capital development; as a nation, we don’t invest in human capital,” he stated.Udemezue noted that no economy in the world can grow or develop and bring about prosperity without human capital being at its best quality.
“In every economy, you need capital, technology, and very importantly human resources to be able to bring that economy from a low level to a high level of prosperity, and bring about job creation. A well trained staff is an engaged staff,” he added.
Source: G Business
