Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele, has formally launched the Tertiary Institutions Entrepreneurship Scheme (TIES), with a charge to beneficiaries to utilize the loans for the purpose it was meant for, just as he inaugurated an 11-member Body of Experts to oversee the screening of prospective beneficiaries of the scheme aimed at tackling unemployment and underemployment among Nigerian youth.
Mr. Emefiele disclosed that the formal launch of the TIES and inauguration of the Body of Experts (BoE) for the Scheme’s Developmental Component underscored the critical roles youth play in building new blocks for economic growth, particularly as the country’s national growth was highly dependent on a strong and competitive businesses.
He said the scheme was developed in partnership with Nigerian polytechnics and universities, to harness the potential of graduate entrepreneurs by creating a paradigm shift from the pursuit of white-collar jobs to a culture of entrepreneurship for economic development and job creation.
“Bridging their financing gaps and enhancing access to low-cost credit to drive development of business is a task that can only be addressed by an innovative financing model that correlates with the complexity and dynamics of these small businesses,” he posited.
According to him, the TIES was designed to address three verticals – the Term Loan component, the Equity Investment component and the Development Grant Component.