The Young Entrepreneurs Empowerment Project (Y.E.E.P.) since inception on 11th April, 2020, has raised, mentored and empowered up to 20,000 young African entrepreneurs across Africa through our Entrepreneurship Programmes, while continuing to provide capacity-building support, advisory and market linkages to thousands of young Africans through our networking platform, Elite Entrepreneurs Network.

Our beneficiaries are creating and growing trailblazing businesses that directly and indirectly create jobs and means of livelihood in their communities. They support all 17 Sustainable development Goals (SDGs) and are committed to achieving the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Beyond this impact, We continue to advocate and propagate the more distinct and sustainable narrative of African youth entrepreneurship as the solution to unlocking the continent’s potential.

We are on a mission to raising and empowering up to 1,000,000 young entrepreneurs by 2030, through our training, mentorship and funding programs, who through the engagement of their creative abilities can create innovative solutions to tackle economic problems across African communities.

1. Scholarship Program

The training program which costs a total of 500 US Dollars has been packaged into a scholarship program and made available to beneficiaries through our partnerships with the University of Maryland, Africa for Africa Youth initiative, Zenith Bank PLC and the Elite Entrepreneurs Academy.

The Training Program is broken down into 3 stages:
• Y.E.E.P. Training Stage 1: In this stage, participants are taken through our Startup Fundamentals course for a period of one week. Startup Fundamentals offers an insightful introduction to the entrepreneurship processes. It is a guide on how to move your ideas or skills, profitably, from your mind to the market. This course covers the four basic processes that helps an entrepreneur build sustainable businesses. This course explains ideation and how to come up with ideas that would be profitable in the market. The course also covers feasibility and how an entrepreneur can conduct a valid feasibility study. Business planning and business model design as well as strategic execution is also covered in the course. For entrepreneurs who are hoping to get started and get it right in business, this is the best point of entry. This course offers the knowledge that you need in order to build a rock solid business that can withstand the challenges of business startup.
What will you learn?
• More about entrepreneurship
• Ideation: How to come up with viable ideas and also improve existing ideas
• Feasibility analysis: How to check if your idea is better than your competitors
• Business planning and modeling: Building a solid business that would succeed
• Execution: How to intelligently build your team and your business for sustainability

• Y.E.E.P. Training Stage 2: After completing the first stage trainings, participants proceed to the second stage of the training. In this stage, participants go through and intensive study of Entrepreneurship in Africa and brief touch on Public Service and Governance. Entrepreneurship in Africa would help you develop a practical entrepreneurship mindset and guide you on business start-ups and entrepreneurship knowledge to be used at the various levels in Africa to enhance development through innovation. In the company of the need for rapid development across African nations, there is a dire need for the nurturing of highly qualitative leadership with noble values and bold new ideas that will stimulate growth across the continent, next on the convoy of needs is the mainstream participation of Africa’s youth in public service and governance. The Public Service and Governance Boot Camp is a strategic long term mentorship program (organized by the Africa for Africa School of Government) for the deliberate evolution of a new generation of informed and purposeful Political Leaders & Public Servants that will transform the public sector landscape of African nations.

• Y.E.E.P. Training Stage 3: This stage covers Startup Funding for entrepreneurs and will be completed within 4 weeks. This course is for aspiring or active entrepreneurs who want to understand how to secure funding for their company. This course will demystify key financing concepts to give entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs a guide to secure funding. Examine the many financing options available to get your new venture funded. Learn the basics of finance, valuations, dilution and non-dilutive funding sources. Understand capital structure for new ventures, term sheets and how to negotiate them, and the differences between early-stage versus later-stage financing. Develop an understanding of how to develop winning investor pitches, who and when to pitch, how to avoid common mistakes that limit the effectiveness of the pitch, and how to ‘get to the close’. Key questions answered within the course include:
• When to raise outside capital?
• What kind of investors invest by stage and where to find them?
• What are your fundraising options?
• What are the key components of the term sheet?
• How to perform company valuations?
• How to pitch to investors?
• What techniques help the entrepreneur ‘get to the close’?

2. Grow With E.E.N. Initiative

Sometimes the only thing between you and the growth you desire for your business could be the training and mentorship that you lack, access to business resources and tools not available to you, the right partnerships and network for your business or even funding.

The Grow With E.E.N. initiative aims to bridge this gap and connect young African entrepreneurs, who have bright and innovative solutions, with opportunities that would improve their business.

1. The Capital (Business Pitch competition)

Participants are qualified to pitch for funding in the capital (Business Pitch Competition) as the Y.E.E.P. through her strategic partnerships and collaborations, makes funding opportunities available through the year for them to benefit from.

2. SME Loans

E.E.N. Partners With Zenith Bank to Provide Exceptional Banking Services to Y.E.E.P. Participants Across Africa through the Z Money Program

The Elite Entrepreneurs Network (E.E.N.) is glad to officially announce its partnership with Zenith Bank in a collaboration to deliver financial services to our network of young entrepreneurs through the Zenith Bank’s Z Money Program as we empower and create a platform for young Africans, through the Young Entrepreneurs Empowerment Project, to tackle basic economic problems through sound entrepreneurial initiatives.

You’re required to complete a registration fee of $13 (N5,500) at the point of commencing the program to cover for course materials and certification. 

NOTE
Only certified participants may proceed into the funding stage of the program

1. Get Groomed with Business Management Skills

2. Earn A Certificate in Business Management

3. Get Your Business Registered

4. Build A Solid/Viable Business Plan For Your Business Venture

5. Opportunities To Equip Your Business Venture

6. Opportunities To Pitch For Funding

7. Networking With Other Entrepreneurs

and much more.