The Global Entrepreneurship Network began operating in Nigeria in 2010 with the launch of Global Entrepreneurship Week. During subsequent GEWs, GEN's leadership team in Nigeria added activities including the GEW Walk, seven days of GEW Radio, Women Enterprise Day, youth entrepreneurial dialogue and an award ceremony. These built a large community of ecosystem leaders around which to operate year-round programming through a national GEN organization.
Launched in 2017, GEN Nigeria supports the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Nigeria by harmonizing the various pockets of entrepreneurial activities in the country while instituting national enterprise programs and competitions, and conducting policy research on how to improve conditions for Nigerian startups and entrepreneurs. Just as important, GEN Nigeria is a platform for providing access to global opportunities for Nigerian entrepreneurs.
GEN Nigeria operates the following programs:
- Entrepreneurship World Cup | Nigeria
- Startup Huddle Nigeria
- Entrepreneurs Lounge
- Nigeria Village
- GEN Nigeria Night
- AGROHACK Challenge
- Creative Business Cup (CBC) Nigeria
- Global Entrepreneurship Week | Nigeria
More details are under the National Programs tab.
GEN Nigeria is a public-private initiative of the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC), Pan Atlantic University in collaboration with the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, and the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (SMEDAN).