Funmi Ogundare
BIC, makers of stationery, lighters, and shavers, recently held a ‘ Mentor Me’, programme, a business skills-building workshop for Nigerian students in partnership with Enactus.
Now in its fourth year, the programme was designed to expose participants to the inner workings of the organisation’s operations while teaching insightful lessons on how to achieve personal and professional success.
As part of BIC’s commitment to improving learning conditions for 250 million students by 2025, the 2022 ‘Mentor Me’ programme included 15 Enactus Nigeria students from the University of Lagos, Bayero University, Kano and the University of Port Harcourt.
The students took part in product innovation, negotiation, branding, sales, and marketing campaign planning. Students also interacted with BIC distributors and wholesalers. They also shared their learnings and recommended ways further to enhance the pricing and profitability of the products.
Speaking at the closing ceremony in Lagos, the General Manager of BIC Nigeria, Guillaume Groues, noted that the organisation continuously work to enhance learning conditions for students, adding that ‘Mentor Me,’ is a beneficial practical exercise which complements the Enactus national and world cup events, while giving students a taste of the real business world.
Michael Ajayi, Country Director of Enactus Nigeria, stressed the need to make deliberate investments in developing the youths’ entrepreneurial mindset and mentoring them to become successful entrepreneurial leaders and social innovators.
The move, he noted, would grow our economy and rid the nation of the social crisis we are currently faced with.
Working with organisations, such as BIC, on programmes to mentor, grow, and develop skill sets of the future generation through practical work and real-life implementation was essential, he stated.
Ajayi added, “We are proud of the generations of Enactus students that we have worked with to date and the innovative start-up social enterprises they have put forward as projects and implemented, and are confident that such initiatives will guide today’s students to become the leaders of tomorrow.”
