Total reaffirms commitment to local content, entrepreneurship development

Acknowledging entrepreneurship as the engine of growth of most developed economies, Total Nigeria Plc has restated its commitment to drive entrepreneurship growth in Nigeria.

The Managing Director, Total Nigeria Plc, Imrane Barry, explained that Total believes in the huge entrepreneurship spirit of Africa’s biggest economy, maintaining that it is key to unlocking entrepreneurship opportunities in the continent.

Barry, at the 2018/2019 Startupper Total challenge, an initiative it started in 2015, designed to support and reward young entrepreneurs up to 35 years of age who have a project or a company in the past two years, said encouraging and supporting entrepreneurship development is apt, coming at a time when Africa is pursuing inclusive social and economic development while also taking cognisance of the huge role it plays in creating job opportunities and wealth for the nation.

He said Total believes in the Nigeria’s downstream sector, maintaining that it has the right human capital to deliver quality and efficient goods and services to Nigerians.

“Our unique ability to understand the value and culture of countries we have businesses gives us the edge to operate successfully in anywhere we find ourselves in the world,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, the Executive General Manager, Human Resources and Corporate Services/ Company Secretary, Total Nigeria Plc, Bunmi Popoola-Mordi, said following the success of the first edition, launched in 2015 in over 30 African countries, the project this year went on a global scale in almost 60 countries and on every continent.

She added that the initiative was to promote local content and drive the entrepreneurial skills of young people in the society.

According to her, it would go a long way to encourage entrepreneurship to have a ripple effect on the economy while also giving aspiring entrepreneurs opportunity to think through and come up with potential business ideas.

The event also saw three finalists, Olumide Ogunbanjo, Obaoye Justus, and Aondosso Ijir go home with N6 million, N3.6 million and N2.4 million respectively to support their businesses.

Ogunbanjo Olumide of AgroData Network promotes organic farming via community-based beekeeping providing farmers with free beehives. The company deploys natural techniques to keep the bees within the ecosystem.

For Obaoye Justus of Carido Automobiles Service Technology, the firm is an on-demand automobile service technology which aggregates automobile maintenance demands through mobile devices and thereafter facilitates their fulfilment through select offline services performed by competent and vetted mechanics.

My Waste My Energy’s Ijir Aondosoo converts rice husk waste to energy source and provides a sustainable form of domestic energy, reduces environmental degradation and deaths associated with respiratory diseases as Nigeria records 93000 deaths annually due to smoke from firewood.