BRACED Commission: Focus on entrepreneurship development, Siasia urges South-South governors

By Precious Akutammadu

Mr Moses Siasia, an entrepreneur, has urged governors of the South-South under the BRACED Commission (Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Crossriver, Edo and Delta), to pay attention to entrepreneurship for the good of the people.

Siasia, who is the Convener of the Niger Delta Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Summit/BOOT CAMP, said this on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers, as the governors deliberate on the way forward for the region.

He expressed worry that the modern reality globally, was that conversations at leadership level had moved from mere rhetorics to creating opportunities in a digitalised driven economy.

“This is central to a knowledge-based system,” he said.

Siasia urged the governors to drive a culture of entrepreneurship with an intentional commitment to better the lives of Niger Deltans.

He added that young people should be the major beneficiaries of empowerment programmes in the zone.

Siasia further stated that governors of the region must come up with robust plans to encourage MSMEs, which he noted was lacking in the region, especially in the area of mechanised agriculture and creative economy.

“We have a very high deposit of young and talented workforce in the Niger Delta that needs to be identified and empowered.

“This is the surest way by which we can create massive windows of opportunities for our people and most especially our teeming young population in the Niger Delta region.

“Our governors must also be reminded that when they leave office, they will not be remembered for the roads and bridges that they built.

“Only those who invested critically in Human Capacity Development will be remembered.

“They must deepen their sense of responsibility to leverage on partnerships and collaborations to drive sustainable growth for the people.

“The South-East has gone far. The North is doing well. Same with the South-West but the Niger Delta is seriously lacking behind,” Siasia said.

He further commended the leadership of the BRACED Commission under Amb. Joe Keshi, for their forthrightness and commitment to drive progress in the South-South geo-political zone.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the BRACED Commission was established in 2010, with a core objective to promote economic cooperation and regional integration among the South-South states. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Emmanuel Afonne