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About

LiveWIRE was started to give recognition to those young people who do not wait for others to provide employment but set out to provide their own, by creating a new business. The purpose of LiveWIRE is to improve opportunities for young people to realise their potential through the creation and development of their own businesses. Such businesses will contribute towards a more buoyant economy and communities with more fulfilled youths. In each country the programme has been designed to meet the needs of the local young people and to work in partnership with others who are interested in the development of young people.


What we aim to do in Nigeria?
The objectives for the LiveWIRE Programme in Nigeria are to;

  • Raise business awareness amongst final year university students to encourage them to see starting a business as a valid career option.
  • Assist youths to discover and develop business 'ideas' through Bright Ideas Workshops.
  • Make available to youths that want to go on to start a business, business planning and management guidelines and skills through the Become A Successful Owner Manager Course (BSOM).
  • Run awards for best business plans, the price of which gives access to micro-credit facilities, through third parties like banks, NGOs and allied financial institutions
  • Run an award for young people who have sustained a business for 2 to 3 years and continue the award on an annual basis.
  • Provide a volunteer mentoring programme for those who have completed the training course and decide to pursue starting their own business. Mentors can be drawn from oil & gas, banking, social voluntary sectors, etc.
  • Print and provide information on Youth Enterprise at LiveWIRE Resource Centres.
  • Target Beneficiaries: Youths in the age range of 18 to 30 years.

Programme Activities
1. Young Business Leaders Awards
A prestigious cash awards programme for young owner managers who have been in business for up to 2 years and can demonstrate significant (best) progress in the areas of production/service, financial growth, employment opportunities generation, and improvements in management strategies. These awards are expected to help these young people to further grow and/or diversify their businesses.

2. Bright Ideas and Become a Successful Business Owner Manager (BSOM) workshops
These are run for groups of young people to stimulate exchange of ideas, encourage good planning for the most viable business idea, and to facilitate a good foundation on which to start up businesses. At the end of the Bright Ideas Workshops, outstanding participants are encouraged to complete the BSOM training workshop, at the end of which there are opportunities for awards and/or micro-credit through partner organizations for business start up.

3. Business Awareness Forum
This forum will provide a basic introduction to enterprise for young people as they prepare to graduate from universities. Potential business owners identified through this forum will be assisted further through a short BSOM course.

4. Business Information and Enquiry Service
By providing Business Opportunities Profiles (BOPs), young people are introduced to the requirements for starting a particular business in terms of; capital, legal, technical and human resources, and the market opportunities that exist for such a business.

Programme Coverage
The programme will initially concentrate on the following states within the Niger Delta; Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Imo and Rivers State for the Young Business Leaders Awards, Business Awareness Forum, and Business Information and Enquiry Service, while the Bright Ideas and Become A Successful Owner Manager programmes will cover Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers State. We hope others will become partners as the programme develops, to facilitate its expansion to other states of the Niger Delta and indeed Nigeria.


The Benefits
For the young people there is access to attractive, targeted, high quality, relevant programmes and opportunities to meet other young people with similar ambitions and challenges.
For the joint venture partners especially Shell, there are Public Relations, media and brand opportunities aimed at demonstrating commitment to local economic development. In addition because LiveWIRE works in the area of youth development and small business (which in nearly every country around the world are major political and social concerns), it can provide platforms to involve government to interact with youths/future leaders. LiveWIRE can also provide good opportunities for Shell Employee Volunteering programmes.