The Sun News On-line|Money Market

Visafone, one of Nigeria's new entrants into the mobile telecommunications sector has announced it was partnering Ecobank Nigeria Plc and Vitamalt as telecom partner in the sponsorship of The Entrepreneur TV Series showing on national television from Saturday October 4, 2008.

The Entrepreneur TV Series, a business reality TV programme offering Nigerian micro entrepreneurs opportunity to access up to N1million, will run for 13 weeks on African Independent Television (AIT) from 5-6pm on Sundays; Channels TV from 7-8 pm also on Sundays and African Magic on DSTV on Saturdays.

Under the scheme, about 60 candidates selected through regional auditioning in three major Nigerian cities, screening process held in three regional centres of Kano, Aba and Lagos, will be expected to prove how they can profitably manage their business with the money that the sponsors would make available to them.
The reality show, the first of its kind in Nigeria, will have 16 judges comprising highly experienced personalities, who in their own rights have made their marks in growing various businesses from the scratch. Three judges will direct each episode in the 13 weeks that the programme will run.

Commenting on the potentials of the TV show, Executive Director of Inspire Media, Producers of the programme, Mr Goke Dokun said the show was conceived as a platform to enable innovative social Enterprises that would meaningfully impact on society by alleviating poverty and empowering small businesses in Nigeria. Mr. Dokun explained that the programme was a must watch because of its unique approach to delivering set objectives and perceived impact.

"First, it gives Nigerian micro-entrepreneurs the freedom to own their ideas, by allowing them access to required financial capital without undue interference of any other vested interest on how the envisioned business would be owned and managed. Secondly it recognises the need to further empower the Nigerian Entrepreneur whom the world has acknowledged as being innovative but lacking the financial enablement to change his world."

Continuing, Goke said, "Though one million naira seems quite little, it will provide eventual winners with a head start for implementing long envisioned business ideas, enabling them to become wealth creators and employers of labour. In The Entrepreneur TV Series, the winner wins both his idea and the money, as against paying back money to the bank in the form of a loan facility.

The Entrepreneur TV Series has Ecobank Nigeria as the lead sponsor, Vitamalt as associate sponsor, while Visafone is the telecoms sponsor. Other partners are Financial Standard Newspaper, Growing Business Foundation and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria.