The Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA), and partners, have pledged to make face masks available to everyone and lift up the economy and health status of Nigerians by promoting competition in the fashion industry.
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The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of AEA, Malam Arabi Tukur, made the pledge at the Grand Finale of the first virtual Mask Up Abuja, Competition, on Monday in Abuja.
The initiative was in conjunction with AEA’s partners in the Fashion Industry.
Tukur explained that the competition was designed to give participants opportunity to bring their fashion ideas and concepts into actualisation.
“Given the realities of the time we find ourselves; when the COVID-19 pandemic took the whole world to the battle ground.
“Nigeria, and indeed the FCT, have their shares of the consequences of the battle; which includes, but not limited to, the virus Infection, mortality and heavy economic down grade, which left us no options than to think out of the box to save the situation.
“In facing this ugly reality, we came up with this competition which has three major objectives:
“To engage the MSMEs in the fashion Industry to develop their skills and make a living.
“Protect our people from contacting the virus by easily accessing and using the face mask, to prevent residents of the FCT from encountering the wrath of the Law for not wearing such masks.
“Our Agency and its partners, hope to achieve these objectives and many more, by making the face mask very much available to everyone and lift up the economy and health status of Nigerians,” Tukur said.
He explained that the competition focused on five categories namely; Best Use of Innovation, Growth, Social Impact, Use of ICT, Climate and Environmental Impact, as well as Privacy and Data Protection.
He further said the competition would spur SMEs in Nigeria to align their activities to meet with global best practices.
Tukur added that the initiative would make the competitors to be more skilled in writing their business scripts to market their products, as well as learn how to build a large network of resources for mentorship, team creation, education and venture financing.
He noted that the competition recorded 929 entries and 221 Videos as at 12 p.m., Saturday, May, 16 2020.
“This is huge, for the reviewers to screen objectively each of the submissions made; but it has been successfully done and the result is what we are witnessing today.”
Tukur disclosed that three winners would go home with cash prizes of N500,000, N300,000, and N200,000 respectively.
“In addition to the prize for the top winner, the Company will be given a shop space at the SilverBird Shopping Mall for a month, for free, to display and sell the face masks,” he said.
In her remarks, the Honorary Counsel, Embassy of Columbia, Maricel Jammal, restated her constituency’s commitment to deepen partnership with the agency to support laudable initiatives in the fashion industry.