Shell Nig Ltd LiveWIRE Programme for young Nigerians

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), operator of the NNPC/Shell/Total/Agip Joint Venture (SPDC JV) announces the commencement of the 2017 SPDC JV Regional LiveWIRE Programme.

Livewire is a youth enterprise development programme supported by the SPDC JV.  The programme aims to inspire, encourage and support young people aged 18-35 with training and finance to start their own businesses.

Since its inception in 2003, Shell LiveWIRE Nigeria has provided 2,748 young people with funding to start and grow their businesses.

The LiveWIRE programme objectives are:

·         Enable youths to establish businesses by exposing them to business planning and management skills through the ‘Become a Successful Business Owner Course’.

·         Provide business start-up grants for candidates with the best business plans.  

·         Link successful candidates to third parties like financial institutions and non-government organisations (NGOs).

·         Provide a volunteer mentoring programme for successful candidates.

Programme content:                       

·         Pre-start up: - Value and Organise Yourself (VOY)

·         Bright Ideas workshop (BI)

·         Become a Successful Business Owner (Business Planning & Management)

·         Value Chain workshop

·         Business Start-up (How to access finance & technology)

·         Post start up (Mentoring and Market linkages)    

Applications eligibility:

·         Male and female applicants from the region (South-South).

·         Must possess a University degree or HND in any discipline.

·         Must have completed NYSC if within mandatory bracket.  

·         Must be resident in their states of origin.

·         Must not be in paid employment.

·         Must have an innovative business idea.

·         Must desire to own and manage a business.

 APPLY NOW

U.S. Advises African countries not to stop importing used clothes

Second hand clothing also called "okirika" or "akube" in Nigeria,has been a common dressing stuff among young and elderly in Africa.With the spiraling foreign exchange in most African countries,the cost of importing new clothings has been very high necessitating purchase of "okirika".

In a busy second hand market like Katangwa or Alaba suru in Lagos,Nigeria,one can witness the high influx of people on a daily basis.The prices of clothings start from about $0.15 to about $15 depending on the grade.Handbags and shoes start from$0.60 to about $40.

Second hand business thrives more in West,East and Central Africa.The business with its enormous gains to traders and merchants has crippled the local textile business sending millions of people unemployed.

Most recently,the confederation of East African country is suggesting that imports of used clothing and shoes should be stopped in 2019.The countries are: Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and South Sudan.

As signatories to the AGOA trade programme which offers them duty-free access to the United States, their decision violates the conditions including eliminating barriers to U.S. trade and investment, among others.

A U.S. Trade Representative said that it was reviewing trade benefits to these countries in response to a petition filed by a United States body that complained that the ban “imposed significant hardship” on the U.S. second hand-clothing industry.

Trump's proposed Immigration plan to grant 140,000 immigrants visas annually under a points system

Immigration laws in US might just be about to change.President Donald Trump on Wednesday sent a bill to congress to cut legal immigration and replace employment based visas with ''Point System".

Countries already practicing the Point based Immigration System includes:United Kingdom,Australia and Canada.Under this system 140,000 visas would be available annually and would be distributed to those with the highest points.

Favourites to get the visa:If the proposed bill is approved by congress,those that are likely to be favoured are candidates between the ages of 26 to 31 with a US based doctorate or professional degree,who speaks nearly perfect English and who has a salary offer that's three times as high as the median income where they are to be employed.
Also those who have won Olympic medal or Nobel prize are to be given preferential treatment.
A candidate must have at least 30 points to apply.

General Criteria:

AGE
Priority is given to prime working ages:
18yrs----21yrs           6 points
22yrs-----30yrs          8 points
26yrs-----30yrs        10 points
31yrs-----35yrs         8 points
36yrs-----40 yrs       6 points
41yrs-----45yrs         4 points
46yrs-----50yrs          2 points

Minors under the age of 18 and those over the age of 50 receive no points,though people over 50 years old are still allowed to apply.

EDUCATION
Foreign Bachelor's degrees                         5 points
US Bachelors degree                                  6 points
Foreign Masters degree in STEM               7 points
US Masters                                                 8 points
Foreign professional degree or doctorate  10 pts
US        ''    '''                        ''''                     13 pts

ENGLISH ABILITY
Points are allocated for English ability as determined by standardized English test.
Less than 60th percentile proficiency      0 pts
60th-80th percentile                               10 points
90th or above                                         11 points
100th percentile                                       12 points

JOB OFFER
Job offer of at least 150% of median household income in the state where he or she will be employed-5 pts
"       "''        "      "  200%  "        "  -8 pts
"  "  "                      300%  "             13 pts                                                                                              

 SPOUSE
The bill also requires applicants, if they want to bring a spouse with them, to calculate the points the spouse would earn.