Young African entrepreneurs are celebrating the culmination of a transformative one-year mentorship training at the Stability and Sustenance (SAS) initiative.
Founded by award-winning African entrepreneur Mr. Melody Fidel Okwuazu, SAS has empowered over 1000 participants from across Africa in honing their entrepreneurial skills, understanding the nuances of skills monetization, and mastering digital tools, especially social media, to enhance business visibility and drive sales.
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Transformative Journey for Participants
Princess Solomon, a participant in the SAS program, shared how her involvement transformed her perspective as a dance instructor and performer. She expressed her gratitude, saying, “I got to know about Stability and Sustenance through Mr. Melody, and he has been tutoring me, and I bet you, I have never regretted it.”
The SAS initiative has not only provided mentorship but also opened avenues for participants to access various grant opportunities. In October, several participants in Nigeria were shortlisted for the first physical SAS mentees retreat, held in Lagos, where they engaged in one-on-one and group sessions with Mr. Melody. The retreat offered a platform to showcase their business progress, acknowledge exemplary peers, and gain valuable insights into leveraging social media for business growth.
Empowering Entrepreneurs’ Minds and Businesses
Speaking with Techpression, Mr. Ntiedo Akpan, a SAS participant based in Cross River, Nigeria, shared how the program has positively shaped his mindset about the digital media landscape. He highlighted the power of consistency which he learnt in the course of the program.
He said: “SAS is a movement that has caused a paradigm shift as regards how I view social media. Previously, I always had the perspective of ” can any good thing come out of the internet, especially a place like Instagram which has been saturated by fraudsters?
“It has also taught me the power of Consistency as displayed by our mentor and friend Mr. Melody who has been consistent with Instagram live and the zoom mentorship forum for over 40 weeks now and the results are sure glaring.”
Ms. Chinaza Otada, based in Northern Nigeria, attested to the motivational impact of SAS in rebranding her online business presence. She noted, “SAS motivated me to rebrand my business presence online. I am now more consistent with showing up online and marketing my fashion business, and I have seen how my sales are getting better.”
Participants have received firsthand insights on maximising different social media platforms to position their companies for greater opportunities and business expansion during the SAS bootcamp. The program emphasised the importance of consistency and strategic use of platforms like Instagram for business development.
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Melody Fidel Okwuazu – A Catalyst for Change
Melody Fidel Okwuazu, the visionary behind SAS, is a life and business coach dedicated to entrepreneurship and human development. Over the past decade, he has championed the cause of entrepreneurship, youth empowerment, tech skills training, and monetization for thousands of youths across Nigeria, Africa, and the United Kingdom.
In 2023 alone, Mr. Melody, alongside his partners, organized youth empowerment and skills monetization boot camps for over 5,000 youths, disbursed business start-up grants to more than 100 entrepreneurs in Nigeria, and provided free online business mentorship to African entrepreneurs on a weekly basis. His exemplary contributions earned him the outstanding entrepreneur-missionary award at the United Kingdom Investors Summit 2023 and The Future Awards Africa Prize of ‘Service To Young People’ at the 17th edition held in October.
As the mentorship training year concludes, participants are poised to leverage their newfound knowledge and skills to propel their businesses forward and contribute to solving challenges in Africa. Stability and Sustenance not only signifies a culmination of the training but also marks the beginning of a journey for these young entrepreneurs to thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of business.