In a clear display of the intersection of faith and human development, prominent cleric and prayer leader, Pastor Jerry Eze, has kicked off an initiative aimed at empowering small-scale entrepreneurs to drive business transformation and job creation in Nigeria.

Under the Jerry Eze Foundation, the programme was launched in the nation’s capital on Wednesday April 29, at a ceremony attended by faith leaders, government officials and players in the business sector.

The beneficiaries span key sectors such as agriculture and agribusiness, manufacturing, technology and digital services, among others with each person receiving 3,000 dollars from the Foundation for business development.

In total, 240 micro and small business owners were given N920 million to boost their enterprises. They were selected out of over 16,000 applicants who registered on the portal and 9,668 who completed the process, one that was managed by a professional consulting firm to ensure transparency and credibility.

Prominent personalities who spoke at the event underscored the need for more serious thinking on entrepreneurship and business transformation while challenging the beneficiaries to be result-oriented and use the funds for the expansion of their outfits. 

For the founder of the programme, Pastor Eze, it was a dream come true, stemming from personal values rooted in generosity and community upliftment.

This comes as one of the latest initiatives targeted at strengthening MSMEs and helping to address the challenge of unemployment in Nigeria. Beyond this, the effort has demonstrated that the era in which churches were only concerned about unproductive projects that gulped millions and billions of naira are passing away, but rather positioning for greater societal relevance.