Entrepreneurship Development Centre (EDC)

The Entrepreneurship Development Center (EDC) is one of three Central Banks of Nigeria (CBN) Entrepreneurship Development Centers, managed and operated by Africa Leadership Forum (ALF) to expressly address the phenomenon of rising youth unemployment and its threat to political stability, social cohesion and economic growth of the nation. EDC adopts a person-Centered and demand -Driven approach towards promoting and developing competent and productive initiatives in the area of small enterprises.

The objective of EDC is to create a new breed of young entrepreneurs that will become net-contributors to the national economy. The project is designed to provide training, strategies and certification programmes that will assist young Nigerians to embrace micro, small, and medium scale enterprises as an alternative employment option. It seeks to effectively mainstream youth participation in the economic activities of their respective communities with a view to reducing unemployment, while also generating a higher value addition for the nation’s economy.

Project Objectives

• To develop entrepreneurship spirit amongst Nigerians by providing insights into the tools, techniques and frame work for functional areas of business enterprise, including production, marketing, personnel and finance.
• To develop skills of trainees to successfully start, manage, diversify and expand business enterprises.
• To facilitate easy access to start-up capital to trainees, especially funds from Banks and allied financial institutions.
• To generate employment opportunities for Nigerians in line with the goal of the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS).
• To raise a new class of entrepreneurs who can successfully manage micro, small and medium scale  enterprises, compete globally, and who can serve as or provide (the) catalyst for the industrialization of Nigeria.