Three young Nigerian entrepreneurs have been selected to represent their country at the 2023 Forbes Under 30 Africa Summit billed to hold in Gaborone, Botswana, from 23rd to 26th April 2023.
The Honourable Minister for Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, will be representing His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, at the event upon the personal invitation of the President of Botswana.
The young businesspeople, who will be flying Nigeria’s flag at the event, include 29-year-old Ashley Jiritmwa Dimka-Tapgun, CEO of Ashley’s Strawberry Farms Limited; 28-year-old Ayodeji Atte, a media entrepreneur; and 29-year-old Winnie Ojochenemi Adejo, CEO and Creative Director of Kira Brand Limited.
According to the Forbes website, this summit is being organized “to harness the power of entrepreneurial capitalism amid a continent whose growth is ripe with opportunities for young entrepreneurs and rapidly becoming a hub for business and technological innovation.”
The Summit will focus on “Unlocking the Continent’s Biggest Opportunities through Inspiration, Innovation, and Exploration.” The young Nigerian entrepreneurs will get the opportunity to network with over 1000 other young entrepreneurs from across the world.
Some of the A-listers expected include Ghazi Shami, Founder & CEO of Empire Distribution; Denim Richards, Actor & Founder of Khumo Studios; Fireboy DML, Award Winning Afrobeats Artist; Uche Pedro, Founder & CEO of Bella Naija; Adebola Williams, Chairman, AW Network and Founder, RED; and Noureddine Tayebi, Founder & CEO, Yassir.
Speaking of his delight in being one of the lucky few to attend the Summit, Mr. Atte said he looks forward to using the experience to good use.
“I’m extremely delighted to be selected to attend the 2023 Forbes Under 30 Africa Summit in Botswana to share with others the opportunities and inherent capabilities that young people can tap into and also learn from fellow Youth doing the same thing the world over. I cannot wait to compare my work with theirs and return to Nigeria with new knowledge and experiences,” he said.
The Minister, Mr. Dare, said the event is another opportunity for Nigeria to place her best foot forward and show that investment in the Youth is paying off.
“President Buhari has always said that Youth, not oil, is Nigeria’s most important resource. I am proud to be leading this delegation to this event to showcase our Youth and demonstrate their investment worthiness,” he said. “We are a country blessed with immense and diverse talent and it shows even in the number of speakers and VIPs for this event that are Nigerians.
“We have a bias towards entrepreneurs that produces value leveraging our land, human, and application of science to achieve efficiency and scale. We believe Africa’s future development is hinged on the production of both mid and high-value complex and non-complex items that we currently import from outside the continent that we should ordinarily share internally, a drive behind the AFCTA. Nigeria will as usual contribute impactfully as we continue to facilitate investment, aspiration, and networks for our Youth.”
