To drive entrepreneurship growth in Africa’s most populous country, Fidelity Bank Plc has launched the creativerse to empower small and medium-sized business operators in the creative industry.
Located in a dedicated wing at the recently unveiled Fidelity SME Hub in Gbagada Lagos, the creativerse boasts of fully equipped music recording, podcast, content production and photography studios as well as co-working spaces designed to foster innovation, collaboration and capacity development amongst operators in the creative industry.
Speaking at an exclusive tour of the facility recently, Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, managing director and chief executive officer of Fidelity Bank, said the hub supports individuals who cannot do what they dream about.
“We believe that everybody has a God-given skill- all we want you to do is to develop it and we are here to support you,” Onyeali-Ikpe said.
“Once you have developed the skill into a bankable transaction, you can rest assured that Fidelity will be there to help you take it to the next level,” she said.
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She stated that the hub is an incubator centre that helps to incubate skills. “The people on the finance side will help you with your accounting and all of that. And then it becomes bankable and you will become the next Burna Boy, Davido, Wizkid, Tems, or Flavour,” she added.
According to her, the Fidelity SME Hub is a comprehensive resource center offering training programs, capacity-building workshops, business mentorship, industry networking opportunities, and business advisory services to small business owners.
Explaining the vision of the Creativerse and what the bank wants to achieve with the facility, she said, “We want the next Dangote to come out of here, the next BUA, the next Nestoil. We want you to grow and the most we can do is to support you.”
“And most of this is pro bono. We want a situation where you can come and you are not scared of anything. Fidelity will take care of it.”
Ayodele Olawande, Minister of Youth Development, said the hub is a dynamic platform that will shape Nigeria’s future.
He noted that the initiative reflects a commitment to equipping Nigerian youth with the skills, resources, and opportunities needed to turn their business ambitions into profitable ventures.
“I want to see a bank that truly supports young people, and Fidelity Bank is doing just that.”
He noted that the bank is not only producing, and providing young entrepreneurs with access to key decision-makers but a policy framework to promote the growth of sustainable businesses and an enabling environment to thrive.
Similarly, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu lauded the initiative as a game-changer for Lagos’ entrepreneurial ecosystem.
“SMEs contribute about 84 percent to Nigeria’s GDP, and in Lagos, our dynamic business environment thrives on initiatives like this,” Sanwo-Olu who was represented by Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin, secretary to the Lagos State Government (SSG), said.
“This hub is a world-class package that moves businesses from survival to sustainability and from growth to greatness,” he added.
