Minister sets target for Focal Group on Youth Investment Fund

The Ministry of Youth and Sports Development  Mr. Sunday Dare  has given the newly inaugurated  Focal Group  on the  Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) a two week time line to submit its  preliminary  report.

The 27 member  Focal Group is an assemblage of youth leaders and groups from diverse fields, entrepreneurial experts and individuals with youth development and finance experience.

The NYIF Focal Group is entrusted with processing stakeholders’ views and inputs about the Fund and making same available to the NYIF’s Technical Committee. The group will also provide valuable feedbacks on expectations of the youth generally and deliberate on wide ranging issues around youth entrepreneurship and credit access.

Speaking  while inaugurating the committee , Mr  Dare  said ” This group is particularly  important  because the input from its  members  will be pivotal to the impact , communication  and reach of the Nigerian Youth  Investment Fund. This group is expected  to send in a preliminary  report on the 27th  of August preceded  by the preliminary  report of the Technical Committee  on August  26th“

. He further  tasked the Focal Group to “provide useful insights around the challenges faced by youth entrepreneurs and youth with burning ideas and how best they think the fund can assist them. The Nigeria Youth Investment Fund is not just another programme of government. You have the responsibility of coming up with suggestions on how to make NYIF serve the needs of the youth and facilitate turning their ideas into viable businesses, helping them to expand existing businesses.”

The twenty- seven member Focal Group is led by Oladipo Adebiyi with Mr. Samson Itodo, Executive Director of Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth & Advancement (YIAGA)  and Aisha Usman as Deputy Team Leads.

Other  membership of the group include Thomas Enitan Eleoramo, Funds Manager/Investment Banker; Ife Adebayo, SA Innovation & Entrepreneurship Office of the Vice President; Mrs. Fayo Williams, CEO, Simply Exponential Consult; Mr Abubakar Barde; Mr Olisameka Onyeka; Mrs Yetunde Adeniji and Barrister Usman Bappa.

Others are Mr Gbenga Adeyemo, Youth Development Coach/Journalist; Ubale Nalado, Development Expert, Zainab Haruna, CEO Decipher Solutions; Lukman Edu, Youth Entrepreneur/Lawyer; Bella Amadi, Founder, Girls Lead Hub; Oguamanam Jacqueline; Amina Abdulsalam; Tayo Olusunde, Executive Director, Mind the Gap; Mubarak Mijinyawa, Speaker, Nigerian Youth Parliament; Morakinyo Oladotun Ebenezer; Sokubo Sara-Igbe Sokubo, President, National Youth Council of Nigeria; Aisha Usman; Joel Ogunsola; Obi Ozor, CEO Truck 360; and Idris Olorunnimbe, Member.