The Presidency, Federal Republic of Nigeria and Mara Foundation Enter Partnership to Empower Young Entrepreneurs

Abuja, Nigeria (ots/PRNewswire) -

Today, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Dr.
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, and Ashish J. Thakkar, founder of Mara Group
and Mara Foundation, jointly announced their partnership to launch
Mara Mentor for supporting young entrepreneurs across Nigeria. The
President was represented by his Special Adviser on Youth
Empowerment, Ambassador Obinna Adim. As part of Nigeria's Integrated
Youth Economic Empowerment Program (IYEEP), Mara-IYEEP Nigeria is the
first of its kind and will be a formidable base to empower youth
throughout the country and ultimately provide a solution for youth
leadership and development.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130403/607118-a )

Mara Mentor is an online and mobile platform targeting young
people who want to start a business. The program is completely free
of charge and available to all entrepreneurs regardless of their
position within the business life cycle, from those only starting out
with one brilliant idea to more established business owners. The
platform allows these entrepreneurs to connect virtually with
seasoned business leaders locally and mentors from across the world
for advice and guidance.

The mentorship program will serve as a provider of non-formal
education aimed at bridging the gap between school and life after
school, enhancing young people's potential for success by making them
approach life as entrepreneurs. Aside from mentoring the youth on the
path to entrepreneurial empowerment, the program further aims to
provide comprehensive support services for the youth through funding
assistance for novel business ideas, incubation centers and
workspace, as well as continual business training. Furthermore, the
program exudes special consideration and focus on the empowerment of
female youth in our society.

These support services are expected to transform entrepreneurs'
business ideas into profitable and thriving business entities that
will employ other Nigerians and contribute to local, state and
national economies.

"We are very excited about the project to bring Mara Mentor to
Nigeria. Mara-IYEEP Nigeria will encourage young entrepreneurs to
embrace innovative ideas, envision the impossible, and ultimately
transform Nigeria. We believe mentorship is the key in addressing the
gaps currently preventing these entrepreneurs from successfully
starting, scaling and sustaining businesses," says Ashish J. Thakkar,
founder of Mara Group and Mara Foundation.

"The Integrated Youth Economic Empowerment Program (IYEEP) is the
Youth Transformation Initiative of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
The Mara mentorship platform will be an important part of the overall
IYEEP initiative to economically empower the Nigerian youth through
the Mentorship Program and Launch Pads, which provide incubation
centers for SMEs and Solopreneurs who otherwise would not be able to
afford professional office space. The Platform also matches young
entrepreneurs with seasoned business owners and cooperate leaders one
on one. Our vision is to provide the needed platform and mechanism to
transform our youth into (IYEEP) CHANGE MAKERS who can make their
communities a better place, not only for themselves but also for
their fellow Nigerians by spurring wealth creation and raising
household incomes across the country," according to the Special
Adviser to the President on Youth Empowerment, Ambassador Obinna
Adim.

The mentorship platform is currently accessible online, but will
shortly be launched as a mobile application for smartphones with the
objective to create a truly active and connected entrepreneurial
community for youth across Nigeria.

About IYEEP

IYEEP is a unique grassroots and community aligned youth
development process approach, which focuses on three critical
elements that promote personal leadership: Healthy behaviors,
socioeconomic empowerment skills as well as self and individual
communities' sustainability.

About Mara Foundation

Mara Foundation is Mara Group's social enterprise that focuses on
emerging African entrepreneurs and working to create sustainable
economic and business development opportunities for young business
owners via the Mara Mentoring Program, Mara Launchpad incubation
centers and Mara Launch Fund.

For more information, please visit: http://www.mara-foundation.org

Photo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130403/607118-a

ots Originaltext: Mara Foundation
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Sabina Lindstedt: sl@mara.com / T: +971-4-325-3745