The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, has urged Nigerian entrepreneurs to adopt a counter-cultural mind-set in order to become successful business operators.
The minister stated this during an interactive session with delegates at the second Ausso Leadership Academy’s master class at the Entrepreneurs’ Hub in Lagos.
Enelamah stated that the counter-cultural mind-set was a call to excellence despite any seeming culture of mediocrity within the Nigerian business environment.
He encouraged the delegates to adopt an Olympic mind-set and prepare to play on the global stage as well as cultivate a deep understanding of their local space.
The minister also commended the founder of the academy for providing a world class facility as a veritable medium to mentor entrepreneurs to optimise job creation and enable shared prosperity.
Enelamah shared other guiding principle with the delegates.
While discouraging them from being local champions, he urged the entrepreneurs not to rest on their laurels, but to have a deep understanding of the market, discover their competitive advantage and possess clarity of vision.
The minister also said that the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan of the Federal Government was a plan that was developed to restore economic growth, while leveraging the ingenuity and resilience of Nigerians.
According to the minister, the plan has been articulated with an understanding of the role of government as an enabler of growth in the 21st Century.
Speaking at the event, Founder and Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Ausso Leadership Academy, Mr Austin Okere, thanked Enelamah for honouring the call to mentor the entrepreneurs and business leaders at the academy.
He noted that the session had been instrumental in providing insightful details about the activities of the government.
“We are pleased that you have honoured the invitation to share your experience to motivate the delegates to aspire to greater heights. Today, you have reinforced the recurring mantra from other champions at ALA that you can be excellent and successful,” Okere stated.