Young entrepreneurs urged to embrace opportunities in tech, artificial intelligence

Stakeholders and top business leaders have urged young entrepreneurs in the Niger Delta to take advantage of the enormous opportunities in the tech and artificial intelligence (AI) space to scale their enterprises.

The stakeholders spoke at the recent Niger Delta MSME summit in Yenagoa, Bayelsa, organised by the Niger Delta Young Professionals (NDYP).

In his remarks at the flagship event, Douye Diri, Bayelsa governor, said the world is now in the fourth industrial revolution, powered by “AI, Biotechnology and the internet space”.

Diri, who was represented by Nimibofa Ayawei, secretary to the state government, said global resources are fast diminishing.

He said the implication is that only “smart-minded” business owners will benefit from the opportunities ahead.

“It is only people who are able to create an order in chaos and act fast that can survive,” he said.

The governor also commended the participants, describing them as “intentional”.

George Omoraro, the founder of Rage Media Group, emphasised the vast opportunities in the virtual job space, which young Nigerians can leverage to earn remotely.

He noted that Africa currently has the largest pool of online freelancers.

“The greatest resource that we have in this region is our people. Our oil can get finished. The world can move beyond oil, but the world cannot move beyond people,” the entrepreneur said.

“So it’s time for us to develop ourselves, learn new skills, things that are demanded globally.

“I talk a lot about AI, digital marketing, design writing, virtual assistants, all of those things. It’s high time we learnt these skills, put them to use, and we can begin to develop our community by ourselves, because nobody’s coming to save us this time.”

In his opening remarks, Moses Siloko Siasia, founder and host of the summit, said the initiative has provided grants to over 650 young business owners across the Niger Delta region since its launch.

He said the businesses have also created more than 20,000 jobs.

“We are building men and women in the region that will stand the test of time and become changemakers,” he said.

Siasia, following a bootcamp and breakout session on ‘Growing a Digital Economy for Niger Delta’, presented grants ranging from N500,000 to N1,000,000 to young entrepreneurs whose ideas were adjudged as the most innovative.

He urged the beneficiaries to always add a touch of “excellence” to the services they render.