THISDAY

SAIL Lab Supports Startups With Grant

- Oluchi Chibuzor

The Senator Abiru Innovation Lab (SAIL) has empowered small and medium size enterprise­s (SMEs) in the Lagos East Senatorial District with asset grants to scale up their businesses.

Out of 47 individual­s that enrolled for the training, 41 entreprene­urs successful­ly completed the three months intensive business training handled by Co-creation Hub (Cc-Hub).

SAIL is an initiative of the Tokunbo Abiru Constituen­cy Team (TACT) Foundation, a dedicated innovation and tech lab that provides relevant technology, business and digital skills to tech enthusiast­s and young entreprene­urs across the Lagos East Senatorial District.

In his remarks to the recipients, Abiru, a former bank Chief Executive, said his Foundation establishe­d the Innovation Lab in response to growing unemployme­nt in the country and also to position the younger generation for the enormous opportunit­ies available in this current fourth industrial revolution.

“Now, we are in the digital revolution age, we therefore cannot as a nation afford to miss out on the enormous opportunit­ies available in this innovation and digital age. Also, the rise in the deployment of robotics and artificial intelligen­ce all point to the fact that we either brace up for technology or we lose out again.

‘’So, I knew, when I became Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that the most enduring empowermen­t I can give to young people and entreprene­urs, in my constituen­cy is to leveraging my global exposure and experience to make them globally competitiv­e by equipping them with premium digital, innovative and technologi­cal skills which are in high demands globally. This was in keeping with the social contract that I had with the people of the Lagos East Senatorial district when seeking their votes,” Abiru said.

Commending the programme, the Managing Partner of the Creative Economy Practice at CcHUB, Ojoma Ochai, challenged the graduating participan­ts to harness the huge opportunit­ies in the creative sector.

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