Abuja Enterprise Agency
Abuja Enterprise Agency is a business support agency whose objective is to support new and emerging businesses in the
Federal Capital Territory. It was the first business support agency created in Nigeria and has been a flagship for SMEDAN: the SME
Development Agency of Nigeria. IGA has undertaken a number of assignments including:
- undertaking a feasibility study which recommended that an enterprise agency be set up and that, funding permitting, it should provide business advice, training and mentoring, loan finance and incubator workspace;
- preparing a detailed business plan with staffing proposal and budget;
- providing technical assistance, training and mentoring support to all of the staff - including supporting the executive director, training staff in a range of consulting and business skills and assisting with the development of AEA's own training materials (2006-2008).
Successes
- The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory provided additional funding to launch a loan fund and the banks agreed to provide three staff on secondment
- Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship is a high school programme intended to foster entrepreneurship amongst school students. One of the schools' entrepreneurs' clubs supported by AEA won the national heat and went to Ukraine at the end of July 2007 where they took the first prize.
- In November, 2007, it was announced that Tunde Popoola, the Executive Director, had been selected as the Nigeria country prize winner of the 1st Pan-African Prize for Entrepreneurial Teachers.
© Irwin Grayson Associates 2022