The Student Representative Council of my School held an entrepreneurship summit on the 3rd of August 2019.
It was a 3-part program that consisted of a general talk, a panel discussion and then a hangout for visiting speakers and students.
It featured talks on why the entrepreneurship culture should be adapted and why the University is one of the best places to connect with people and start.
The panel discussion involved answering questions the students had on entrepreneurship, their fears, ways to start and what to look out for when starting a business.
The hangout was like an after party, where students could have talks with the guests of the program in a more relaxed setting, pitch ideas, and network.
There were over 900 participants, 57 special guests, 7 panelists, 47 officials, and 6 mentors in attendance. The summit was hosted by the Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Y.Y. Bambale.
You can see more photos on the event here
https://www.instagram.com/p/B0xxpV8B-oG/?igshid=ylba7mapcgto
I spoke with Mustapha, a member of the ABUSRC who helped put the summit together and who served as the LOC chairman. And;
I would like to know how long the SRC office had been thinking of this project? And your views on the program?
Okay…. The idea of the summit came from painstakingly trying to figure out the pressing concerns of undergraduate students which are mostly issues of financial crisis, financial independence and gross lack of job opportunities.
There and then the ABUSRC made it one of it’s main objectives to organize an entrepreneurship summit with the aim of inculcating the spirit of entrepreneurship into students so that they can sustain themselves while in school and even become job creators after graduation instead of another batch of labor market hopefuls.
It was really awesome of you to hold the event. It was enlightening and I’m sure everyone learnt a lot.
Now I presume you must already have abackground on entrepreneurship. But you must have also learnt a lot during the event, what was one thing that really stuck with you?
It really was, as the organizer myself I think I learnt a great deal, not just about entrepreneurship but general concept of organization, team work.
Out of many, the one thing I’ll say that stuck with me is the fact that academic excellence is overrated and has too much importance attached to unlike the popular belief that those that are more academically sound have more chances of succeeding in life. We just have to work really hard to achieve all of our dreams. Identify opportunities and sieze them.
🙂 Education is indeed sometimes overrated. But what about the hangout, how was it?
😁It was awesome and amazing. Student entrepreneurs got the chance to chat with seasoned and successful entrepreneurs from various fields, from their feedback, it was a lifetime experience.
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I also talked to some students and they told me excitedly how much fun they had at the summit. From talking with the panelists, to winning prizes. I met a man who won #30,000 as seed funding for his business.
There were a lot of donations to the Student Council and it was unite impressive how the summit was run. Things were orderly as participants were on their best behaviors.
A lot of advice were offered to us on taking advantage of opportunities by interning at workplaces, starting their business and being committed to it to watch it grow.
Determination,patience are indeed key to achieving whatever the mind is set to accomplish.
I enjoyed myself at the summit, and hopefully another would be held next year and every year.
Inside ABU 