The 4th Annual FATE Policy Dialogue Series on Entrepreneurship
The 4th Annual Policy Dialogue Series on Entrepreneurship in July 2018 in Abuja and focused on the theme “Building Sustainable Businesses: The Case for Deepening Financial Literacy”. The highlight of the programme was the presentation of Summary Findings from the MSME Financial Literacy Survey developed by FATE Foundation and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Nigeria.
The keynote speaker for the event, Hajiya Aisha Abubakar, Honourable Minister of State, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, (MITI) spoke on the need to deepen financial literacy and the role MITI was playing. The panel speakers included Finance and Financial Literacy experts and influencers in Nigeria: Temitope Akin-Fadeyi, Head, Financial Inclusion Secretariat, CBN; Modupe Ladipo, Fmr. Chairman, Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (EFinA); Thomas Isibor, Country Head, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Nigeria; Arabi Muhammed Tukur, MD/CEO, Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA); and Simi Nwogogu, Executive Director, Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN) who moderated the panel.
The dialogue ended with key policy recommendations and a focus on the need to enable entrepreneurs with the right financial data, insight and knowledge to guide their business growth.
The 3rd Annual FATE Policy Dialogue Series on Entrepreneurship
The focus of the 3rd Annual FATE Policy Dialogue Series on Entrepreneurship was on “Scaling Entrepreneurship: How State-Led Efforts Can Unlock Youth Potential”. The program held in July 2017 in Lagos and had the presentation of the full report on the “Mapping Study of Nigeria’s Entrepreneurship Ecosystem” and a report on “Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Key Players” as the highlight of the program.
The keynote speaker was Gov. Nasir El-Rufai, the Executive Governor, Kaduna state who was ably represented by Mr. Mohammed Sanni Abdullahi, Honourable Commissioner, Kaduna Ministry of Budget and Planning who spoke on harnessing the youth potential. The panel speakers – Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade and Investment; Hon. Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Lagos State; Adetomi Soyinka, Director, Skills, Education and Enterprise, British Council; Bernard Takyi, Regional Coordinator, Commonwealth Alliance of Youth Entrepreneurs; and Nneka Eze, Partner and Lagos Office Director, Dalberg Global Development Advisors (moderator) all brought unique and insightful perspectives to the conversations.
Key agreements were on engendering a focus on youth entrepreneurship, exploring the opportunities and maximizing the youth potential.
The 2nd Annual FATE Policy Dialogue Series on Entrepreneurship
The 2nd Annual FATE Policy Dialogue Series on Entrepreneurship held in September 2016 in Lagos with the theme “Nurturing Public & Private Sector Collaboration for Entrepreneurship Growth and Development in Nigeria”. Key findings from our research on the “Mapping Study of Nigeria’s Entrepreneurship Ecosystem” were presented and provided a background for the conversations at the dialogue.
The keynote speaker, Hajiya Aisha Abubakar, Honorable Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment (MITI) was represented by Mrs. Adefunto Adegoke, Director, MITI who spoke on the need for collaborative efforts to drive entrepreneurship growth in Nigeria. Key findings from the research was delivered by Bisi Lamikanran, Partner & Head of Advisory, KPMG, Nigeria who also led the research.
Bringing an international perspective to the dialogue was Rocio Fonseca, Executive Director, Startup Chile who shared Startup Chile’s entrepreneurship growth story. She joined Mrs. Adegoke and other panel members: Tunji Elesho, Managing Partner, Growth Capital Fund, CcHub; Mr. Monday Ewans, Director, Policy Advocacy and Coordination, SMEDAN to provide insights on the theme of the dialogue. Key agreements were incorporated into the full report on the “Mapping Study of Nigeria’s Entrepreneurship Ecosystem”.
The 1st Annual FATE Policy Dialogue Series on Entrepreneurship
The maiden edition of the Annual Policy Dialogue Series on Entrepreneurship with the theme held in December 2015 in Lagos with the theme “Positioning SMEs for Growth: How to Ensure Nigerian SMEs thrive Despite Economic Headwinds”. The presentation of key findings from our research on “An Overview of the Nigerian MSME Policy Environment” was the highlight of the programme and provided
Delivering the keynote address was Dr. Sarah Alade, fmr Deputy Governor, Economic Policy, CBN while the panel speakers – Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, Honourable Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Ogun State; Dr. Friday Okpara, Director, Strategic Partnerships and Liaison, SMEDAN; Mr. Abdulganiyu Mohammed, then Divisional Head, South SMEs, BOI; Mrs. Toyin Bakare, COO, SAS Textiles; and Dr. Henrietta Onwuegbuzie, OMP, Lagos Business School (moderator) discussed the theme and research findings.
The dialogue revolved around Monetary, Fiscal and Taxation policies as well as MSME Intervention Programs and strategies that could improve the policy and regulatory environment in Nigeria.