Over 5,000 business leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators, policymakers, content creators, and others are set to converge in the Entrepreneurship Village in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria, for the 2024 Global Entrepreneurial Festival.
Speaking at the launch of the festival in Victoria Island, Lagos, on August 20th, Dr. Summy Smart Francis, Special Adviser to the Ondo State Government on Entrepreneurship and Innovation and Project Lead for the GEF, asserted that the 3-day festival, scheduled for November 22 to 24, will address the misconceptions surrounding entrepreneurship.
“The festival is designed to address Africa’s challenges and shift mindsets, creating a hub for deal-making, idea creation, design thinking, co-creation of solutions, and business pitches to over a hundred investors, venture capitalists, and local and international financiers. This event is not just about addressing poverty; it’s about transforming the way we think about entrepreneurship,” he said.
“Among the 12 concurrent events planned are networking sessions, business pitches to investors and venture capitalists, an awards gala, an innovation and robotics expo, a hackathon, art and creative exhibitions, a trade fair, a global leadership forum, an international women’s congress, a fashion show, and a grand closing concert. The Global Entrepreneurial Festival is the largest entrepreneurship event ever held in Nigeria, and it promises to positively affect many lives,” Smart Francis added.
Meanwhile, Dan Walkovitz, a member of the GEF Board and Chairman of the Entrepreneurship Village, believes the festival will build upon the outcomes of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 2024) and the Summit of the Future. According to him, the festival’s theme, “Beyond Boundaries: Poverty Eradication through Entrepreneurship,” is geared towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a specific focus on eradicating poverty.
“GEF will bring together the brightest minds in business, innovation, technology, and creativity for an extraordinary convergence of ideas and inspiration,” Walkovitz remarked.
Thus far, 215 investors have signed up for the festival, according to organizers, with expectations that this will ignite an international movement positioning youth development and entrepreneurship across different business sectors as critical drivers of economic and social transformation.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Edem Kojo