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Businessday 40 Under 40 — Awardees with Dr. Olusegun Aganga (front row: middle), Minister of Industry Trade and Investment, during the 2013 40 Under 40 Gala Awards

Forty young men and women that have distinguished themselves in different economic endeavours were honoured by Business Day Newspaper on Friday 29th November in Lagos at a ceremony titled 40 Under 40 Gala Awards.

Business Day Newspaper, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment (FMITI), Bank of Industry (BOI), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Association of Nigeria (SMEDAN), awarded 40 men and women drawn from different backgrounds for their remarkable contributions to the national economy. The organizers also used the opportunity to launch a vehicle that would promote the development of entrepreneurship education and awareness in tertiary institutions across Nigeria.

Using nineteen universities as a pilot for execution, the organizers explained that the project, titled University Entrepreneurship Development Programme (UNEDEP), would help foster creativity and industrious capacity among students in the nation’s academic institutions. Dr. Olusegun Aganga, Minister of Industry Trade and Investment, who delivered the keynote address at the event, noted that Nigeria has vast human resources that are being discovered daily, some of whom shared stories of their experiences with entrepreneurship at the event. The Managing Director of Connect Nigeria, Emeka Okafor, was among the recipients whose immense efforts to stamp out unemployment in Nigeria through ingenious initiatives were being recognised. Notably, Connect Nigeria, under the leadership of Mr. Okafor, gathered small and medium businesses at a business fair in Lagos on October 26, 2013. The exhibition, which was tagged ‘e-Business and the Growth of Your Enterprise’ was aimed at educating members of the business community and prospective entrepreneurs on how to maximise their business potentials through creative use of electronic technology. Over two thousand visitors were present at the fair, which was held at Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos.