By Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
A business developer in Port Harcourt, Mercy Ikeji, has advised youths from South South geopolitical zone to be business-minded in order to overcome poverty and unemployment.
Mercy Ikeji, who recently launched her two books in Port Harcourt, spoke to TPCN yesterday about her NGO, Dezionite Helping Hands Development Initiative.
She said her books, – A Bankable Business Plan . The Secret to Accessing Business Funding and Developing Your Enterprise . An Eye-Opening Guide on How To Start, Run and Grow a Business, are products of her years of experience in business development, consultancy and mentorship.
She said she has helped over 15 companies to get loans from bank of industry and 4 others to get loans from commercial banks.
She said having accessed funds from Shell Life-Wire and other organizations to grow her business, she deemed it fit to help other enterprises in the South-South geo-political zone to enjoy same and use it to grow.
She advised youths in the South-South to develop entrepreneurial mindset which will help them to work towards becoming employers of labour rather than job seekers.
“Our youths should embrace entrepreneurship. It’s the solution to poverty and unemployment. Anything you love to do, do it well; you will be rewarded for it. The youths should focus on employing other people,” she said.
During the workshop, forms for loan application and business registration were shared to interested participants,
One of the participants, Nelson Asieyemia from Abua, Rivers State, described the workshop as eye-opening and encouraging and thanked the organizer for the initiative.
TPCN gathered that she recently organized a business development funding workshop in Port Harcourt which witnessed many participants.
According to Mercy, the vision to organize the workshop was driven by her passion to help upcoming business men and women who find it difficult to access funds to grow their businesses.
