PHCCIMA reaches out to young entrepreneurs in Rivers

Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce NEWS (PHCCIMA), acclaimed to be Nigeria’s second largest city chamber after Lagos (LCCI), is reaching out to some youth entrepreneurs in Rivers State under the aegis of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) Youth Entrepreneurs (also called PHCCIMA Entrepreneurs), in a move to further expand the business climate of the oil-rich state, with a gross domestic product economy of $23 billion.

Nabil Saleh, PHCCIMA’s new president, said, the young entrepreneurs were quite strategic in grooming more young people into the business sector, thereby getting them off the unemployment market, especially at a time Nigeria grapples with 20.9 million people who have lost their jobs since 2016.

He received a delegation of the Rivers chapter of NACCIMA Youth Entrepreneurs (NYE); adding that PHCCIMA has primed itself to work with the budding young entrepreneurs.

NACCIMA Youth Entrepreneurs, Rivers chapter, is a group of young entrepreneurs affiliated with the chambers of commerce to inspire entrepreneurship, represent and advocate for the interest of youths in business, encourage youth patronage and investment, participation in decision making. The group also facilitates youth empowerment, skills acquisition for employability and self-actualization.

It is best described as “a congregation of youths with knowledge and skills of business and entrepreneurship being, mentored to equip them for effective participation in sustainable national development,” according to information sheet on the group.

The NACCIMA Youth Entrepreneurs Rivers state chapter were at the PHCCIMA secretariat to see the chamber president, as part of efforts to consolidate on their successes witnessed last year. They were received by Saleh and members of the PHCCIMA executive committee.

Victor Adedamola, coordinator of NYE Rivers chapter, commended the new PHCCIMA president and his executive committee members for their emergence at the last annual general meeting of the chambers.

He said the youth group was poised to work in synergy with the new chamber administration to achieve a robust and unique blueprint. He said they were aware of the need for NYE members to fully register as PHCCIMA members, so as to leverage and benefit from the chamber’s boundless opportunities. He assured the president that they would ensure that more youths registered and got the full complements of membership benefits.