Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has announced plans to purchase shares in the Dangote Group for 500 young entrepreneurs in the state.
The initiative is part of his administration’s efforts to encourage young people to build wealth through entrepreneurship and investment.
Aiyedatiwa made the announcement on Saturday at the 2026 Ondo State Entrepreneurship Agency, ONDEA, Entrepreneurs Summit held at the International Centre for Culture and Events, The Dome, in Akure.
The summit brought together entrepreneurs, business owners, investors, policymakers and other stakeholders in the state.
The event was themed, “The New Ondo: Positioning Entrepreneurs for Emerging Opportunities.”
The governor said the planned Dangote share ownership would give selected young entrepreneurs an opportunity to participate in the capital market while building a culture of long-term investment.
He said the beneficiaries would be selected from young entrepreneurs participating in the state’s enterprise development programmes.
Aiyedatiwa explained that the initiative was not only about supporting people to start or expand businesses.
It was also designed to introduce young entrepreneurs to other ways of building financial security.
“This is about giving our youths a real stake in one of Africa’s leading industrial conglomerates and inspiring a culture of investment and long-term thinking,” the governor said.
The announcement came alongside other economic interventions unveiled by the governor at the summit.
One of them is the Lucky Light Initiative, a solar power programme targeted at 1,000 small businesses across Ondo State’s 18 local government areas.
Aiyedatiwa said the programme was designed to help entrepreneurs deal with the high cost of electricity and reduce their dependence on petrol and diesel generators.
The state’s ONDEA said the initiative would provide solar energy systems to selected businesses, with the programme covering businesses operating across the state.
The governor stressed that Lucky Light was primarily a business support intervention and not a household electrification programme.
He said reducing energy costs would allow small businesses to devote more resources to production, expansion and employment.
The initiative is expected to be implemented in phases across the 18 local government areas.
The government had earlier presented the programme as part of its wider effort to improve the operating environment for micro, small and medium-sized businesses in the state.
Aiyedatiwa also announced financial support for 20 entrepreneurs selected through the ONDEA My IDEA programme.
The beneficiaries will receive grants and other business support packages.
The governor said they would also have access to mentorship and opportunities for further development and exposure.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Investment, Dr Summy Smart Francis, disclosed that the My IDEA programme attracted more than 2,703 applications.
According to him, the eventual 20 beneficiaries emerged after a three-stage screening process.
The governor charged beneficiaries of the various programmes to use the opportunities to build sustainable businesses rather than depend permanently on government intervention.
He said successful businesses should contribute to the wider economy by creating jobs, paying taxes and supporting other people.
“Use these interventions to build sustainable businesses, create jobs for others, pay your taxes and mentor those coming behind you,” Aiyedatiwa said. “That is how we will grow our economy together.”
The governor further spoke about his administration’s economic vision for Ondo State.
He said the state must move beyond an economy that depends heavily on government employment and raw material production.
“Our goal is to move beyond producing raw materials to processing, packaging, branding and exporting finished products for local and global markets,” he said.
The administration is also focusing on sectors such as agriculture and agro-processing, tourism, the blue economy, technology, renewable energy, manufacturing, creative industries and export-oriented businesses.
The summit also featured a keynote address by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, who was represented by his Special Adviser, Toba Oyedele.
Toba said entrepreneurs would be important to the Federal Government’s ambition of growing Nigeria into a $1 trillion economy by 2030.
He highlighted the need for stronger participation from private businesses and entrepreneurs as the country works towards expanding economic activity.
Also speaking at the event, media entrepreneur and former TVC Entertainment boss, Morayo Afolabi-Brown, urged investors to look beyond Lagos when considering business opportunities in the South-West.
She encouraged entrepreneurs and investors to explore opportunities available in other states in the region.
The summit also provided a platform for entrepreneurs to discuss funding, innovation, technology, business expansion and access to new markets.
… Gov Aiyedatiwa Announces 500 Dangote Shares as Empowerment for Ondo Youths Read More on … NaijaOnPoint.
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