Linda Ikeji Empowers Aspiring Entrepreneurs with New Project

Chief blogger of the well-known site, Linda Ikeji, has launched an initiative called ‘I’d Rather be Self Made” to empower aspiring female entrepreneurs.

I’m really here for this as I feel that in a generation where a lot of young girls’ greatest aspirations is to wear a white dress, there has to be women who pass the baton on and urge young ladies to become great women.

As part of the program, she will be giving N10 million to the selected women to assist them in starting their respective businesses. She has selected 15 beneficiaries.

Here is what Ms Ikeji says about the program, as reported on her blog:

I am so excited and I can’t wait to help more young ladies start their own businesses. So earlier this year, I announced that I was going to set aside a N10million grant to help young ladies with dreams, ambition and great business ideas to start their own small scale businesses. And finally, I’ve done it. I’ve spent over N5million on 15 girls…and I have another N5million to give away before the end of the year. You have a great business idea and need start up capital? I’m here to help! .:-)

So here’s how it happened. I met with over 800 ladies in January this year, I got a panel to look at their proposals, we asked about 50 of them to present their ideas to us and then we shortlisted to 15 girls who are the first beneficiaries of the ‘Linda Ikeji I’d Rather Be Selfmade’ project. Here are 11 out of the 15 beneficiaries. Four girls who live outside Lagos (Jos, Umuahia, Ibadan and Warri) couldn’t make it to our meeting this past Sunday August 23rd.