Creative industry awards Okonjo-Iweala.

The Creative Entrepreneurs Association of Nigeria (CEAN) has been named coordinating Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as the best overall contributor to the development of the Nigerian creative industry.

CEAN will confer the  on her at the 2013 Creative Industry Awards event scheduled for Saturday at the British Council Gardens in Ikoyi, Lagos.The organization said the award was in recognition of the Minister’s leadership and contribution to the success of the YOUWIN programme which has supported thousands of youth entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and create jobs for other youths.

“The impact of the unique business plan competition which is coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Finance, along with the Ministries of Communications Technology and Youth Development, is confirmed by the fact that the 2400 winners of the first two rounds of the program have created close to 20 000 jobs so far,” the organization said.

According to Wale Ewedemi, the Director General of CEAN, the federal government’s support of entrepreneurs could be attested to through its various laudable projects and intervention in this drive. “While expressing gratitude for such support we hope that the symbiotic relationship will yield good results as entrepreneurs hold the key to any thriving economy,” Ewedemi said.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala has always stressed that the country needs to work harder to create more jobs for the teeming youth population. A total of 1.6 million jobs were created last year according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Meanwhile, Okonjo-Iweala and the British High Commissioner for Nigeria, Dr Andrew Pocock, will also be at the event on Saturday. Okonjo-Iweala will speak on the lessons learnt from Funding Startups and growing companies in Nigeria, while Dr Pocock is expected to speak on British-Nigerian Creative Business Environment.

The key objective of the award is to make Nigerians aware of opportunities in the sector while showcasing and rewarding individuals that have contributed to the economy through overcoming challenges.