By Amos Odhe
No fewer than 600 young entrepreneurs in Bayelsa State, including women and youths, have received N150,000 each as business support and free POS terminals to boost their enterprises.
The beneficiaries are those who successfully completed their training and registration with the Federal University Otuoke, under the Douye Diri Skills Acquisition and Empowerment Programme.
The disbursement was made at the weekend during activities to mark the 2026 World Entrepreneurship Day held at the Chief DSP Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet Hall, Government House, Yenagoa.
Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Douye Diri said his administration would continue to create the enabling environment for businesses to thrive in the state.
Diri, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Peter Akpe, said skills acquisition and capacity building for youths remains the solution to capital flight in the state, noting that at the policy level, government’s key role is to sustain a conducive business ecosystem for indigenous enterprises.
He urged school curriculum planners to consciously incorporate practical skills acquisition modules and make entrepreneurship development a compulsory subject in the school system.
The governor commended his Technical Adviser on Entrepreneurship Development, Mrs Charity Kens-Godwin, for her vision, resilience, consistency, focus and demonstration of leadership, and reminded the 600 beneficiaries that it requires consistency to grow young businesses into successful enterprises.
Governor Diri also called on Bayelsans to patronise locally produced goods to keep local businesses alive, and advised youths to acquire vocational skills even as they pursue formal education, which they can fall back on when white-collar jobs are not available.
His words: “The Bayelsa State Government appreciates your zeal, consistency, persistency, resilience and vision in doing this. The Government of Douye Diri will always stand by you; we are happy with what you are doing.
“Entrepreneurship education, training and development targets blue-collar jobs – turning ideas into opportunities for job creation.
“At the policy level, government’s major duty remains that of creating a conducive environment for businesses to grow and thrive. I will encourage our youths to learn something you can fall back on when white-collar jobs are not forthcoming.
“Skills acquisition is the solution to capital flight in our state. Government needs to be conscious of this: those planning school curriculum should incorporate practical skills acquisition modules. 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 to honour 600 outstanding Douye Diri skills entrepreneurs.
Kens-Godwin said so far, over 5,000 Bayelsans have been trained and equipped with various skills under the training and empowerment programme of the Douye Diri administration.
She also disclosed that her office had facilitated the registration of about 2,000 businesses belonging to Bayelsans with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), adding that over 32,000 applications have already been received from across the eight LGAs of the state ahead of phase four of the programme.
