The Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has reiterated his administration’s commitment to empowering entrepreneurs and building a sustainable business ecosystem that will reduce dependence on the civil service.
He made this known on Friday during the Bayelsa Mega Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation Summit held at the DSP Alamieyeseigha Banquet Hall in Yenagoa, with the theme “Building a Sustainable Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: Innovation, Resilience, and Growth.”
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Nimibofa Ayawei, Governor Diri said his administration is investing in critical infrastructure and stable power supply to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. He disclosed that four Bayelsans have been sent for specialized training in power generation as part of efforts to improve electricity access and support local enterprises.
In his presentation, the Chairman of Coscharis Group, Dr. Cosmas Maduka, shared what he described as seven keys to lasting success, emphasizing vision, faith, planning, focus, values, and integrity as essential principles for anyone seeking sustainable growth in life and business.
According to him, “Your beliefs create your values, your values produce your morals, your morals inform your ethics, your ethics shape your character, and your character ultimately controls your life.”
He encouraged participants to plan with intention and remain focused on their goals, adding that “hope is not a strategy, starve your distractions and feed your focus.” Dr. Maduka also reminded young entrepreneurs that integrity is not what one does when people are watching, but what one does when certain no one will ever find out.
Also speaking, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing (IVM), Chief (Dr.) Innocent Chukwuma (CON), represented by the company’s Corporate Communications Manager, Mr. Kamsi Ejiofor, urged young entrepreneurs to build vision, resilience, and innovation into their businesses.
He noted that entrepreneurship flourishes through collaboration, mentorship, and enabling policies, not in isolation. Ejiofor commended the Diri-led administration for its continued efforts to empower startups and small businesses, describing such initiatives as vital to strengthening the state’s economy.
“Young entrepreneurs must have a clear vision, remain persistent, and cultivate resilience,” he said. “These are the keys to sustaining growth and achieving global relevance.”
Other keynote speakers at the event included Professor Omoankhanlen Joseph Akhigbe, Professor of Management and Organisation and Director at the University of Port Harcourt; Professor Ify Harcourt Wokocha, Professor of Operations and Production Management at the Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State; and Chief Robert Enogha, Founder of the Ayalla Group of Companies.
The Technical Adviser to the Governor on Entrepreneurship and Development, Mrs. Charity Kens Godwin, also praised Governor Diri for transforming Bayelsa from a predominantly civil service state into an emerging hub for innovation and enterprise.
She encouraged entrepreneurs to adopt creative strategies to increase profitability and sustainability, noting that the summit’s lineup of seasoned speakers would inspire and mentor Bayelsa’s next generation of business leaders.
Distinguished guests present at the summit included HRM King Dumaro Charles Owaba, Obanobhan III of Ogbia Kingdom, HRM King Alfred Diete-Spiff, the Amanyanabo of Twon-Brass Kingdom and the first Military Governor of the old Rivers State, who commended the government’s vision in promoting youth-driven economic transformation.
The summit brought together innovators, investors, and policymakers who exchanged ideas on building a resilient entrepreneurial ecosystem capable of driving sustainable economic growth across the state.
