Bayelsa Disburses N90m Empowerment Funds To 600 Entrepreneurs On World Entrepreneurship Day
No fewer than 600 young entrepreneurs in Bayelsa State have received N90 million in business support grants and free Point of Sale (POS) terminals to strengthen their businesses and promote economic growth.
The beneficiaries, comprising youths and women, successfully completed entrepreneurship training and registration under the Douye Diri Skills Acquisition and Empowerment Programme in collaboration with the Federal University Otuoke.
The empowerment package was presented during activities marking the 2026 World Entrepreneurship Day at the Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet Hall, Government House, Yenagoa.
Speaking at the event, Governor Douye Diri reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to creating an enabling environment where businesses and indigenous enterprises can thrive.
Governor Diri, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Peter Akpe, described skills acquisition and capacity building as key solutions to reducing capital flight and creating sustainable employment opportunities in the state.
He stressed the need for entrepreneurship education to be integrated into school curricula, urging policymakers to make practical skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development compulsory components of the education system.
According to him, government’s responsibility at the policy level is to provide a conducive business environment that allows entrepreneurs to grow and succeed.
The governor commended his Technical Adviser on Entrepreneurship Development, Mrs Charity Kens-Godwin, for her vision, resilience, commitment and leadership in driving the empowerment programme.
He also encouraged the beneficiaries to remain consistent and dedicated, noting that successful businesses require patience, persistence and continuous improvement.
Governor Diri urged Bayelsans to patronise locally produced goods to support indigenous businesses, while advising young people to acquire vocational skills alongside formal education as an alternative source of livelihood.
He said: “Entrepreneurship education, training and development target blue-collar jobs by turning ideas into opportunities for job creation.
“At the policy level, government’s major duty remains creating a conducive environment for businesses to grow and thrive. I encourage our youths to learn something they can fall back on when white-collar jobs are not forthcoming.
“Skills acquisition is the solution to capital flight in our state. Entrepreneurship development should be a key subject and course in our school system.”
Earlier in her welcome address, the Technical Adviser to the Governor on Entrepreneurship Development, Mrs Charity Kens-Godwin, said the event was organised to celebrate 600 outstanding beneficiaries of the Douye Diri Skills Acquisition and Empowerment Programme.
She disclosed that over 5,000 Bayelsans had so far been trained and equipped with various skills under the initiative of the Douye Diri administration.
Kens-Godwin further revealed that her office had facilitated the registration of about 2,000 businesses owned by Bayelsans with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).
She added that more than 32,000 applications had been received from across the eight local government areas of the state ahead of the fourth phase of the empowerment programme.
