Mary Ojulari Basis Empowers 21 Younger Entrepreneurs with $105,000 in Funding Grants
Mary Ojulari Basis, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to sustainable growth and group empowerment in Nigeria, has empowered a complete of 21 excellent younger entrepreneurs with $105, 000 in funding to scale their companies and create worth of their communities.
The 21 profitable entrepreneurs have been chosen by the panel of judges out of the 50 shortlisted candidates who participated in a two-week intensive Ignite Bootcamp.
The grant was introduced on the inaugural version of Vanguard Fellowship Awards & Networking Cocktail Occasion organised by the inspiration and held on the Randle Centre for Yoruba Tradition and Historical past, Onikan, Lagos Island on Tuesday, April 15, 2025.
The checklist of 18 feminine and three male beneficiaries for the empowerment contains Jidechukwu Nwabueze (Jelapetra Farms Restricted), Apelehin Oluwatoyin (Encourage Agro Centre),Olaleye Rofiat Olayinka (Eco Heroes) Hyacinth Orji (QuickWaka), Adetutu Olatunji (Two Occasion and Catering Providers) Temitayo Oluyege (Might Coutures), Oyebukola Oyeyemi (Oyecube Farms), Nkechi Present Uzordima (Mush &Inexperienced), Olatunji Oluwafemi (Efem Studios), Chimdiebube Orji (Springsentia), Opeyemi Kehinde (Supplya), Gracious Obiyan(Ventus TechHub), UmmulKhayr Adeleke-Lawal (Ummi’s Nature), Asogba Sunday (Sunny Gee Shoe &Leather-based Work) Anne Ogunyomi (LavenderCare), Temitope Kareem (HubPharm Africa),Imam Aisha Omolola (Tripple A Meals &Spices Combine Enterprises, Amaku Nancy Chioma (Chef Nahnah Meals & Confectionery Restricted), Oluwabukola Shittu (SHEILA SHITTU) and Anna Odogwu (Smartan Home & Non Revenue).
Delivering her speech on the event, the Founder, Mrs Mary Ojulari, disclosed that the choice to spend money on the 21 younger entrepreneurs from the inaugural version of the Vanguard Fellowship is in keeping with the inspiration’s mission to drive grassroots growth by creating alternatives for people and communities to thrive by means of innovation, collaboration and empowerment.
Ojulari defined that she was impressed to provide again by means of the inspiration having been privileged to sponsor 25 outstanding youngsters by means of main, secondary and college. She famous that her expertise relating with younger folks throughout the nation had given her firsthand information of what they require to achieve success.
She revealed that grant fund was donated by some properly that means company organizations and people who shared in her imaginative and prescient to make affect and contact lives positively. She thanked the donors whom she declared most well-liked to be nameless for believing and supporting her imaginative and prescient whereas calling on others to additionally come on board to achieve extra folks and enlarge affect.
She acknowledged that the beneficiaries have been taken by means of 10 days of rigorous and transformational coaching, from the entrepreneurial mindset, enterprise fashions, compliance, branding, methods and finance administration to gross sales, danger administration, management and pitch-readiness. She stated the primary cohort of the Vanguard Fellows have been uncovered to the correct mentorship, schooling and funding on the bootcamp.
“We mentor younger folks and girls, present them enterprise recommendation, funding. In the present day, we’re giving 21 entrepreneurs $5,000 as grant to pursue their enterprise. To reach on the chosen 21 entrepreneurs, we arrange an Ignite Bootcamp after calling for software. A complete of 500 folks utilized with 50 profitable entrepreneurs positioned in a bootcamp for 2 weeks. We introduced in mentors and trade specialists to coach them basic items resembling tips on how to run a corporation. I’m so happy with what now we have achieved with the bootcamp. We couldn’t have carried out it with out the help of some people and partnership with organisations like SMEDAN,” she stated.
In his remarks on the occasion, the keynote speaker and particular visitor, Dr. Cosmas Maduka, President & CEO of Coscharis Group, inspired the beneficiaries alongside different fellows to consider within the energy of their desires and pursue their imaginative and prescient with braveness to develop into profitable entrepreneurs.
Utilizing his grass to grace story, Maduka suggested them to stay targeted and shun all type of distractions that will make them lose sight of their imaginative and prescient “There are a lot of of you who’re first at school, however they aren’t first in actual life. You have to strategy life with a special psychological angle. Nothing occurred in you outdoors of your perception system. You have to study to take motion as in opposition to professing by mouth alone” he stated.
Whereas acknowledging the challenges confronting Nigeria as a nation, he famous that Nigeria stays the most effective place to unlock alternatives, urging the beneficiaries to remain constructive concerning the nation amidst the issue.
