Zainab Iwayemi
The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has inaugurated the ACCI Young CEOs Club at the ACCI Trade and Convention Centre to expand various sectors of the economy through mentorship and networking.
Dr. Al-Mujtaba Abubakar, the president, Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), while speaking at the inauguration said young entrepreneurs when fully supported would become job creators and also contribute to resolving mass unemployment plaguing the country by virtue of their innovation, resilience and energy.
He also revealed that growth in the country hinges greatly on entrepreneurial efficient utilization by governments and leaders in the country. “We believe the main drivers of the economy should be youth entrepreneurs. That is why we have created the young CEOs club to mentor them and use them as a tool to draw more youth into entrepreneurship,’’ he said.
Noting that the CEO membership cadre will amplify the voice of young business people who hitherto had no voice for mentorship, guidance, business linkages and support, the ACCI President noted that the new membership will serve as an avenue for young entrepreneurs to be part of the Chamber’s movement.
‘’Statistical data has shown that Nigeria has one of the largest young population in the world. This is a positive indicator. With a population of nearly 200 million people and the youth constituting more than 60%, the future of Nigeria and even the business community belongs to the youth. As a Chamber, we recognize this fact, hence the establishment of the young CEO category.’’
Victoria Akai, the director general ACCI, enjoined the young CEOs to take advantage of their membership and leverage on it for their business development. She added that ACCI is one of the only two ‘grade A’ Chambers of Commerce in Nigeria.
She said, ‘’We will set up a sub-link on our website outlining opportunities and activities that will specifically benefit you. Here we are not afraid of feedback, tell us what you think we are doing right or wrong and how you feel. This is just to make our service better for you because we believe that this category of membership will lead this Chamber in the very near future and you need to mould it the way it will be better for you’’
