A one day Summit aimed at fighting the rising menace of poverty in the Southeast geopolitical zone also known as Igboland has been organized by Gold City Polythecnic in the commercial city of Onitsha, Anambra State According to the organizers, the Summit tagged “Turning Igboland Into Japan of Africa in less than 20years” is primarily targeted at enhancing the entrepreneurial capacity of Ndigbo in response to growing rate of poverty consequent upon economic hardship in Nigeria.
Speakers after speaker observed with dismay that poverty and its attendant ills of hunger, violent crime and other forms of youth restiveness, malnutrition and diseases including untimely death are on the increase in the Southeast zone as a result of lack of adequate awareness on the abundance of opportunities and possibilities that are available in entrepreneurial sector in the modern world.
A visiting University Don, Professor Chinwe Nnebeolisa who delivered the keynote address focused more on the art of modern business and wide range of highly lucrative entrepreneurial ventures available today told the audience that it is time for Ndigbo mostly Onitsha,Nnewi and Aba traders to look beyond open business of buying and selling as according to her buying and selling is the lowest level of entrepreneurial ventures and the least lucrative.
Professor Nnebeolisa pointed out that there are big money making businesses in the environment, agriculture, technology, education, health, sports, designing and construction among others and all it takes to run such businesses is to develop skilful communication, monitoring the environment, get into interpersonal listening, being able to network, being change oriented, engage in human relations and being a team player among other things.
The University Don advised that what makes entrepreneurial ventures to thrive is team player under good coaching, planning and goal setting, proper negotiation, strong marketing, adequate accounting, control and discipline, risk taking, visionary leadership and ability to manage change and facilitate sustainable development noting that under the above listed instrumentalities a business firm can never die.
She noted that one of the major factors that have dealt Ndigbo a big blow in business growth is one man riot squad syndrome which makes it impossible for big businesses to survive after the exit of the owner, adding that Ndigbo would realise their potential as Japan of Africa when there are measures like team players into industrial business development which according to her is very much a possibility.
Also speaking, a world class scientist Dr Joe Okeke who is the Proprietor of Green Energy Technology drove the audience into available businesses in science and technology such as how to develop and run solar powered electricity, how to move into biomass and biogas and how to apply them in into agriculture services, environmental services and home services that will transform into money making businesses.
Dr Okeke pointed out that Ndigbo have to throw weight behind development of science and technology at industrial level to be able to take their rightful status as the most business driven tribe in the whole of the black race noting that what Ndigbo need to just do that and live to the billing as Japan of Africa is to use the instrumentalities of science and technology to develop industrial businesses in education, health, agriculture and manufacturing with innovations that obtainable entrepreneurial ventures.
In his words the President of Mayrays Group of Schools and co-founder Gold City Polytechnic, Prince Chinedu Nsoffor took the audience into practical means of mind opening towards self realisation, development of skill and capacity building into a business workforce via teamwork devoid of corrupt practices noting that the success of entrepreneurial ventures lies on strong team workforce devoid of corruption.
Prince Nsoffor called on traders and businessmen across Igboland to learn how to join hands into a particular business in education, health, agriculture among others and drive it with the popular Igbo principle of Igwebuilke and bunu bunu Ibu anyi danda noting that Mayrays Group of Schools, Gold City Polytechnic and Mayrays Cooperative Society which is into mega agriculture business are products of teamwork of people who joined hands to establish them.
