₦airaland Forum

Source: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/business/business-news/282894-controversy-as-youwin-connect-trainees-accuse-govt-of-deceit.html

Cc: Seun, lalasticlala, Mynd44, OAM4J

Young Nigerians trained to become small business owners under the federal programme, YouWin Connect, have accused the government of denying them funding after the programme as earlier promised.
But the government says at no time did it promise participants any offer of start-up grants for their businesses at the end of their training.

In a protest letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, a copy of which was sent to PREMIUM TIMES, representatives of the over 5,000 young Nigerians accused the government of deceit.
The youth under the platform, “2017 YouWiN Master Class Attendees”, urged the president to urgently intervene and ensure officials did not turn the programme into “a monumental government-sponsored scam.”
They said what they got at the end of the programme last March fell far short of what they were promised before they decided to enlist in the scheme in 2017.


Their grievances
Representatives of the aggrieved youth, Temitope Babalola and Rita Nduonofit, told PREMIUM TIMES at inception they were made to believe successful participants would not only receive certification of participation, but also funding for their startups or existing businesses.

The one-year business development funding support was to be based on an approved business plan submitted for consideration by designated experts at the completion of the training.
Besides, they said participants were made to believe, in addition to government funding, their businesses would be introduced to some development financing institutions (DFIs) for further funding support.

“All who attended the training were with the mind that having scaled the hurdle of competition to be selected, successful finalists would benefit from federal government funding in the form of equity funding,” Mr Babalola told our reporter.


Finance Minister speaks
In a Youtube video in the YouWiN Connect website, the finance minister, Kemi Adeosun, described YouWiN Connect as a rebranded version of the youth enterprise scheme initiated by the immediate past Goodluck Jonathan administration.

She said to ensure YouWiN Connect made the difference, the scheme was repositioned to give every participant access to online training and knowledge, while government will provided support through equity funding.
“This (equity funding) is a different type of funding,” the minister pointed out. “Equity funding is where government is saying it will come in with a fund manager; it will invest and it will take a share in the business, and as you grow, you buy us out and we take that money and invest in the next person.”


The missing links
The petitioners said what YouWiN Connect representatives told participants at the end of the training last March was different.
They said the officials informed them the finalists were not entitled to any funding, as that was not part of what the scheme was about.
Besides, they said the officials also said only about ₦2.5 billion was set aside under a different arrangement called “Series 1 funding” that would be open to all Nigerian youth, including those who did not participate in the YouWiN Connect training.
“Our fear in the new arrangement is that there is little or no preference for the 5,000 acclaimed winners who emerged finalists at the end of the training. At the end, only very few participants’ businesses, if any, will be funded,” Mr Babalola said.

“Participants are concerned. It is quite disheartening, discouraging and highly deceptive for 5,000 acclaimed winners to have left their homes, families, businesses, bearing their cost of transportation, hotel accommodation and logistics for mere training and certification.”

For Ms Nduonofit, there seems to be no benefit for the winners to look forward to, for all their sacrifices during the training and to emerge as winners at the national, regional and state stages of the scheme.
“Of what benefit is business knowledge without capital to execute it?” Ms Nduonofit lamented. “Some of the participants left their businesses to enlist in the training with the hope of getting government funding at the end to expand their operations.”


YouWiN Connect process
The training process follows three stages – registration/application/selection; online training (accelerator phase I) and Masterclass training (accelerator phase II).

In the first stage, applications are invited from aspiring entrepreneurs to register through an online portal to participate in the scheme. After a review, qualified applicants are shortlisted for the next phase.
In the next phase, participants receive tailored generic online training in various aspects of entrepreneurship and business modules in planning, access to finance, access to markets, competitiveness, business strategy, and mindset change.

At the end of the training, 5,000 successful candidates would qualify to participate in a masterclass face-to-face industry specific training based on various cluster hubs across the country.
The clusters include information & communication technology, agriculture/agro-processing, fashion, manufacturing & retail and construction.
On completion of the third phase, apart from a certificate of participation, each participant submits a business plan articulating areas his/her business would require improvement.

But, the narrative from the youth’s experience is different. They accused officials of back-tracking on the promise they were given at inception.
“Mr President, we are utterly scandalized by the blatant denial by the Finance Ministry that this scheme has anything to do with providing grant or any kind of funding whatsoever to the eventual winners of the programme,” the aggrieved youth said in their protest letter.


Protest march
Months after the training, and concerned about the dearth of reliable information on the issue, Ms Nduonofit said letters were written to several agencies seeking clarification.

When no satisfactory explanations came, she said they marched to the Ministry of Finance in Abuja on July 31 to protest.
The ministry reacted later through its spokesperson, Hassan Dodo, who assured them that their grievances would soon be settled.


No promise on funding
However, the director in charge of YouWiN Connect, Dennis Chukwu, denied any promise was made to any participant for automatic funding.
“This is an enterprise education and capacity building programme. If you look at the website carrying adverts on the programme, nowhere did we promise anybody there will be funding, in terms of grant (to participants),” he told PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr Chukwu noted that grant was attached to YouWiN 1 and 2 (under the previous administration), which organised as a business competition programme.
After the present administration took over, he said the programme was restructured into YouWiN Connect, an enterprise education programme to impart business skills to participants.

Prior to restructuring, the director said a committee, comprising representatives of donor agencies, like World Bank and DFID, along with Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and the beneficiaries, reviewed the former YouWiN.

One key issue the administration raised from the review was lack of money to give grants, which involved giving money without expecting people to pay back.
The director said equity investment funding was adopted as option, with fund managers to be selected to assess Nigerian youth with business capacity, or entrepreneurial skills, to invest either in their start-up or existing businesses.

He said the managers would hold the businesses and ensure they were successful until a time they were able to pay back the money, which would be rolled over to another beneficiary to allow the process continue.

On the grievances of the protesting youth, Mr Chukwu said their concerns on funding had nothing to do with the training they had.

“Yes, things are being delayed, because of the way things work (bureaucracy). But, I think some people (the youth) are just impatient. Nobody has changed anything. The process of setting up a fund cannot be done overnight. It has to follow the public procurement process.

“The company to manage the fund with a co-investment model (where government will contribute 80 per cent and equity investor contributes 20 per cent) has already been established.

“The ministry has just appointed two equity fund managers. We are reviewing the agreements. Once the legal department is satisfied, the agreement will be signed.

“Also, we are in the process of signing an agreement with the equity investor and the co-investors to the fund. Once the agreements are signed, the company to be formed will be registered under the Lagos State Private Liability Company,” Mr Chukwu explained.

When the process of establishing the company is completed, the director said the appointed fund managers, who are also the fund custodians, would access all entrepreneurs’ businesses and ensure the custody of the fund was secured.
“There will be legal representatives, in case of any legal issues that will need to be resolved.
Mr Chukwu said over 250,000 applications were received for the scheme, from where about 150,000 met the guidelines.

The successful applicants were sent to the Enterprise Development Centre of the Lagos Business School (LBS), which developed the training modules and created the online training platform.
Although about 61,000 actually participated in phase 1 of the training, the LBS had to select only 5,000 adjudged to be best performers to participate in the month-long online sector-specific training in 25 clusters across the country’s six geo-political zones.

The specific training clusters covered ICT, fashion, construction, retail and agriculture. At the end, the 5,000 master-class training finalists, consisting 518 national; 1,428 state and 3,000 regional merit winners, were issued certificates for superior performance.


Certificates not enough
But, the protesting youth say their understanding before enlisting in the scheme was beyond the certificates.
“The certificates were to confer a certain advantage on their holders, that having participated in the training and acquired the requisite business skills and knowledge, we were better equipped and qualified for whatever funding government promised,” Mr Babalola said.

According to him, asking the 5,000 finalists to submit their business plan through a new portal to be opened for all Nigerian youth, including those who did not participate in the training, guarantees little or no chance for them to receive the Series 1 funding.

“We are Nigerians. We know how things work here. Government should give us whatever funding, whether a grant or equity. Asking people who did not participate in the training along with the certified 5,000 finalists to also submit business proposal for the Series 1 funding is a panacea for fraud and confusion,” Mr Babalola said.
For Mr Chukwu, the certificates conferred an edge on their holders over others, with the knowledge they acquired through their participation in the training.
Regardless, the director insists their emergence as finalists after participating in the training did not limit prospective beneficiaries of the equity funding to them alone.

“Some people already have stereotype mind that, because the previous YouWiN was a business competition, where external assessors selected winners and give them grants, it should be the same with YouWiN Connect where nobody has anything to win.
“Once the equity funding company is established, it will be put in the website again for every Nigerian youth to apply, including the 5,000 participants. It is open to all Nigerians, including those who did not participate in the sector-specific training scheme,” Mr Chukwu said.

michaelo2:
Pics or I donbilivit

ok

eyeview:
So even the YouWin scheme they have been going about, brandishing as an achievement of this administration is also a scam? Everything about this govt is a scam! There is no truth in them; from buhari to the least of them.
Lalasticlala, I think this deserves the front page to bring to the knowledge of the world what these youths are going through.
I can bet you that some big wigs and members of buhari's cabal have decided to divert the funds meant for this project and decide instead to create a brazen lie that money was never promised. The nation will be shocked when they realize the level of corruption taking place under buhari's govt

lalasticlala your attention is needed here ooo

Follow our updates on Twitter using the hash tag: #fund5000YouWiNconnectWinners

Participants of 2017 YouWiN connect, a youth empowerment scheme organized by the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Finance are currently holding a protest at the federal ministry of finance in Abuja to voice out their grievances with the federal ministry of finance for promising to fund their businesses during the application process in June 2017 which saw over 200,000 hard working Nigerian Youth but 5,000 emerged winners after series of online exams and screening.

To our greatest surprise, the federal ministry of finance turned around to claim that they never promised to fund our businesses. They only issued us certificates. For crying out loud, most of us are graduates who needed funds to grow and expand our businesses to create employment. YouWiN connect certificates alone cannot do that!


Please show solidarity by moving this thread to front page so that Nigerians will know the truth about 2017 YouWiN connect. Nigerian youths are not lazy!
We are entrepreneurs!!

#fund5000YouWiNconnectWinners to provide jobs and grow our economy.


Punch newspapers just published our story
https://punchng.com/youwin-beneficiaries-protest-unpaid-grants-at-finance-ministry/

kellyboo:
Sent

dhappy@yahoo.com

*Please buy the following newspapers (2nd July 2018) to read our Youwin connect press conference story*

*Daily Trust*
*Leadership... page 37*
*People's Daily*

GOOD NEWS!!!


Our press statement has just been aired on FRCN earlier today during the 7:00am news. You can tune to your radio by 4:00pm this evening for a repeat broadcast or visit Radionigeria.gov. ng to tune in from any part of the world!

have been outrightly denied, all communications with participants have seized and we are left with an uncertain future. 


We bring to the notice of the Federal Government that funding is the bane of every budding and aspiring entrepreneur. It is however, unfair to duly go through all of their criterias and processes asked of us just for Certificates of participation.


The multiplier effect of Government spending on MSMEs growth will cause a positive change in the aspects of employment generation, taxes remitted, contributions to the GDP, reduction of youth idle time, amongst other benefits. 


We would not move forward as a nation if the fear of a few defaulting on the objectives of the YouWin funding infringes on the rights of many others who would put the funds to use.


We would like to explicitly remind and appeal to the Federal Government that funding MSMEs cannot be over emphasised or understated


Thank you.

A PRESS STATEMENT by the 5,000 youwin connect winners on Friday, 29th June, 2019 at the Nigerian Youth House, Wuse zone 3, abuja by 10:00am

Your Excellencies, The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Vice President, the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Secretary to the Federal Government, the Honourable Minister of Finance, the President, National Youth Council of Nigeria {NYCN}, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, Fellow YouWin awardees and the General Public. 


Good morning.


We bring to the notice of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Finance, stakeholders of the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria {YouWiN} connect programme, all concerned Nigerians who are passionate about the development, advancement and empowerment of Young Entrepreneurs that:


YouWiN Connect 2017, is a rebranded version of the YouWin programme from the previous Administration.


YouWiN Connect 2017 applicants, went through various stages of sensitization, awareness campaigns, online trainings, assessments and a 3 days in-house master class training.


Of the thousands who applied at the initial stage, 61,000 went through a tasking and rigorous online training programme of which 5,000 of us scaled through and emerged as successful candidates for the next phase of the Programme which held at 25 designated centres nationwide.


We commend the Federal Government for the continuation of the Program through the Federal Ministry of Finance, targeted at empowering Young entrepreneurs.


All participants of this program came with high hopes on promises made by the organizers of the programme and also based on the success of previous beneficiaries.


The success of the programme has been based on capacity building and funding of ongoing concerns, as well as start-ups with the slogan “START, PLAN & GROW”.


One of the 2 specific objectives of the Youwin Connect program, amongst others, is to yearly build capacity of 55,500 budding entrepreneurs and increase their firms’ growth by 20% & employment of participating MSMEs in Nigeria. Funding and capacity building goes hand in hand.


We state that the Government has succeeded in the capacity building aspect of the programme but, it is yet to make any impact with regards to funding of MSMEs.


The average Nigerian knows that the desired impact of the Government for the economy without funding, makes the skills achieved through the Capacity building program partly meaningful.


A Youwin survey conducted by James Burton, an Oxford University Scholar in October, 2016 shows that previous beneficiaries of the programme YouWin 1, currently employes 7,951 staffs, YouWin 2, 6,572 staffs & YouWin 3, 11,816 staffs. He states “without such financing, most respondents felt that they would be years behind in growth or have been forced to close their doors by now”. And his concluding recommendation is that the Youwin model should be replicated across developing Nations.


Burton states though his findings from a Senior economist, David Mckenzie reports that Youwin is a highly efficient economic programme that out-performed the United States fiscal stimulus. Youwin performed better than similar initiatives when compared with efforts specifically targeted at employment generation around the World. This affirms that the numbers were deeply impressive.


It has been statistically proven that the contributions and activities of MSMEs are the backbone of any economys' growth. In the mix of factors of production, we are already enthusiastic entrepreneurs willing to apply ourselves, procure production spaces, create employments that would trickle down to purchases of raw materials, but no capital to back up this awaiting economic growth.


Recent happenings, however, shows that the Government through the Federal Ministry of Finance may be showing some form of insincerity in their dealings with us, as all promises made to fund busines

The president should execute and monitor YouWiN connect, Yes-P and N-power properly before moving on to the next one. Not until these things are put in place, i see startupnigeria as an opportunity to loot money for the next general election.

"...Nigeria prioritizes physical capital over human capital." It's quite unfortunate!

Meanwhile, follow the activities of the five thousand 2017YouWiN connect Winners on this thread...
https://www.nairaland.com/4417352/communique-issued-participants-2017-youwin

Kindly follow the activities of the 5000 2017YouWiN connect Winners on this thread...
https://www.nairaland.com/4417352/communique-issued-participants-2017-youwin

Kindly follow the activities of the 5000 2017YouWiN connect Winners on this thread...
https://www.nairaland.com/4417352/communique-issued-participants-2017-youwin

Kindly follow the activities of the 5000 2017YouWiN connect Winners on this thread...
https://www.nairaland.com/4417352/communique-issued-participants-2017-youwin

Reserved..

Reserved.

Reserved

Good day everyone

The programme to which we,( YouWiN connect participants) have been giving opportunity to speak about the present situated is coming up this *Saturday 31st March , 2018 10:30-11:30am* on a program titled ,
*"In Your Face"* on Crown101.5fm, Ile-Ife.

We can stream live from any location in Nigeria , on www.crownfmradio.com ,

there is an opportunity of a *phone in*
Phone number will be provided soon.

We need at least two persons who are very articulate , the person will still need to review the *Bill and Melinda Gate foundation review of the current administration's developmental priorities*
*The person must also be cerebral and very vast*


We need 10-20 persons from which , two will be put on mic to speak, while the rest be in the studio.


Pls we want to start preparation, this is an opportunity to let our plight known


Those indicating either to go or be among the two persons to speak should contact me privately.

Thanks.

A one hour radio program Courtesy of YouWIN participants is to be aired tomorrow 26th March 2018 on AMINCI RADIO 103.9 FM Kano btw 10am-11am (live program) to discuss our plight about the YouWin Program. This is in line with our principle of not leaving any stone unturned.

Stay Tuned!

(xxiii) Participants wish to state that if funds are given to all the 5000 acclaimed winners, who have workable business plans, a level playing ground would be created for all to perform. All these young entrepreneurs could become the future Dangotes, Otedolas, Elumelus, etc and many other big names in business in Nigeria today.

(xxiv) Participants strongly support the idea of grants or equity funding for the sustainability of the YouWiN Connect Programme with transparency in the use of funds and close monitoring for the businesses of all would-be recipients of the proposed funds.

(xxv)  As earlier stated, participants reiterate that they believe in the YouWiN Connect Programme to take the lead in empowering Young Nigerian Entrepreneurs as done by other organizations like Shell LiveWire, Tony Elumelu Foundation who still fund young entrepreneurs till date.

(xxvi) Finally, to ensure that the vision of the YouWiN Connect Programme which is to successfully launch Young Entrepreneurs in Nigeria is achieved, for rapid socio-economic development and sustainability, Participants strongly recommend the continuity of the programme for the benefits of future generation of Nigerian Youth.

Signed:
All YouWiN Connect Master Class Participants,
Nigeria.

(xii) Participants observed that at the various stages of the application, selection and online training, several persons were dropped based on merit from the hundreds of thousands who applied.

(xiii) Participants also observed with disdain that there hasn't been a scheduled time table for the YouWiN connect programme.

(xiv)  Participants note with interest that at the awareness campaign held in various locations especially in July 2017, they were told that they could access as much as ₦10,000,000 to ₦25,000,000 each for their individual businesses. This was a great motivation for participation.

(xv) Participants bring to the attention of the government that the about 5000 successful persons who partook in Master Class, face to face training across the country were tagged WINNERS based on National, Regional and State merit after their performance at the Online Training YouWiN LMS with an average performance of over 90%.

(xvi) Participants note that all who attended the trainings nationwide came with the same mind and a lot of hope that they had scaled the hurdles of competition and are to be beneficiaries of the Federal Government Funding for their individual businesses.

(xvii) Participants also bring to the notice of the government and the general public that FUNDING is a major SETBACK for young entrepreneurs partaking in the YouWiN Connect programme.

(xviii) Participants were informed that only ₦2.5 billion was set aside for series funding.  Little and inadequate as this may be, participants are shocked that the said sum of money will also be used for Aquaculture and Shea nuts businesses and will be open to all, including those who never partook in the YouWIN connect processes, from the beginning, connoting that very few participants and other business sectors if any will be funded. Not to mention the information that came to their awareness, that little or no preference will be given to 5,000 acclaimed Winners.

(xix) Participants observed with concern that it is quite disheartening,  discouraging and highly deceptive to have made 5000 acclaimed Winners to leave their homes, families, businesses, solely bearing the cost of transportation, hotel accommodation and logistics for mere training and certification. One may ask what then have been won by the National, Regional and State acclaimed Winners?  What is going to be the benefit of all the sacrifices made so far? Of what benefit is business knowledge without capital to execute?

(xx) Participants wish to remind the government that the YouWiN Connect Programme can take the lead in empowering young entrepreneurs to plan, start and grow their businesses and become business moguls who will impart positively on the economy of Nigeria in the nearest future. This would lead to:
Job Creation leading to decline in the high unemployment rate,
Development of Young Entrepreneurs,
Better Economy as there would be REVENUE from TAXES, etc

(xxi) Participants wish to state confidently that no investment in young entrepreneurs will be too much as the massive positive impact cannot be overemphasized.

(xxii) Participants use this medium to appeal to the Federal Government not to dash the hopes of the Young Entrepreneurs by withholding funds to kick start their individual businesses. Instead, Government should make enough FUNDS available to all who attended the Master Training, of YouWiN Connect Programme, from the 5,000 National, Regional and State Winners in all locations of the training in Nigeria, as soon as their business plans are submitted. Doing otherwise may mean that government has no confidence in the quality of trainings (online and face to face) they offered to participants and this could be interpreted as manipulation and oppression of young entrepreneurs. The government should note that even if a percentage of the businesses of the 5,000 acclaimed WINNERS end up successful, the YouWiN Connect Programme will still be considered a huge success.

A COMMUNIQUÉ ISSUED BY PARTICIPANTS OF 2017 YouWiN CONNECT CAPACITY BUILDING MASTER CLASS TRAINING HELD IN MARCH 2018 AT VARIOUS DESIGNATED LOCATIONS NATIONWIDE.

Participants bring to the notice of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Finance, Stakeholders of the Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria(YouWiN) Connect Programme, all concerned Nigerians who are passionate about the development of young entrepreneurs and youth in Nigeria, and the general public that:

(i) As part of the just concluded YouWiN Connect Capacity Building Programme, Master Class Trainings tagged 'YouWiN Connect Academy' held for 3 days each, at various designated locations across the 6 geopolitical zones of our dear country, Nigeria.

(ii) About 5000 Young Entrepreneurs of Nigeria who are Nigeria citizens, doing businesses and ready to start up businesses in Nigeria were invited via emails and SMS from various towns, cities and communities across the nation.

(iii) The 5000 invited participants of the Master Class were chosen from about 61000 who partook in the Online Trainings tagged YouWiN Connect Learning Management System (LMS) and scored very high marks. The 61,000 persons had earlier been selected from the hundreds of thousands who applied for the programme.

(iv) The Master Trainings were face to face, in-class specific trainings which build on what participants had previously learnt during the YouWiN Connect LMS and will hopefully increase participants capacity of succeeding as business owners.

(v) Participants were trained on sectors of Agriculture/ Agro- processing, Construction, Fashion, Information and Communication Technology, and Manufacturing with Business Model Canvass (BMC), Cluster specific BMC and Business Plan amongst others  as courses taken and participants were given certificates to mark the end of trainings.

(vi) The attendance at the trainings all over the country were very impressive as almost all who were invited attended the trainings for 3 days each from March 12 through March 24, 2018 at designated training centers in the following cities; Abakaliki, Abuja, Akure, Asaba, Awka, Calabar, Enugu, Gombe, Ibadan, Jalingo, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Lagos, Makurdi, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Sokoto, Yola, etc.

(vii) Participants commend the Federal Government, the Federal Ministry of Finance and all Stakeholders of the YouWiN connect programme for the brilliant initiative targeted at empowering young entrepreneurs of our dear country Nigeria.

(viii) Participants commend all resource persons used for all the trainings in all locations across the 6 geo political zones of the country.

(ix) Participants also commend the various Government officials, the YouWiN Connect representatives, who took out time to visit and ensure the smooth running of the trainings, addressed participants and responded to the questions raised during the interactive sessions. 

(x) Participants also highly commend all trainees who partook in the nationwide trainings for their high level of commitment, good conduct and active participation that led to the success of the 3–day training, all of whom solely bore the cost of transportation, hotel accommodation and other logistics. 

(xi) Participants observed with serious concern that the YouWiN connect programme had gone through different sequential stages of sensitization and awareness campaigns, to registration, application, selection, online training and face to face training, with promises that:  

a) All successful participants will receive certification on completion of the training and will be required to submit a business plan for areas where their businesses require improvements.

b)   All successfully funded businesses (start-up/existing) will receive a 1 year business development support (this includes introducing businesses to DFIs for further funding)