Giving.ng introduces crowdfunding platform to LBS Community
By Kayode Tokede
Giving.ng, a crowdfunding platform, has introduced a new way to raise funds for social impact projects to the Executive Masters in Business Administration (EMBA) students at the Lagos Business School (LBS). It encouraged Nigeria’s top MBAs to join the effort to reduce poverty and create a better world by becoming part of the movement focused on enabling long-term positive change through crowdfunding.
Chief Executive Officer, Sterling One Foundation, Mrs. Peju Ibekwe made the call recently at a dinner hosted by the EMBA 24 class in Lagos in honour of EMBA 23 and 24 classes as well as the distinguished faculties of the Lagos Business School.
EMBA 24 class chose the theme, ‘A Whole New World – Embracing the Change & Transformation’ for the annual dinner in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the global economy.
Inviting the LBS community to join the platform as individuals and corporate partners, the CEO of Sterling One Foundation informed them that Giving.ng has been able to raise funds from various partners and donors to assist people grow more food, educate children, help people lead healthy and productive lives while putting an end to poverty.
Mrs. Ibekwe explained that the platform crowdfunds for social impact projects and causes that matter. It represents a journey to change lives in communities, encouraging talents, promoting entrepreneurship, and supporting economic growth.
She enjoined the newly minted MBA graduates to join the community of Nigerians at home and abroad that are giving a little to change a lot and making a positive impact that brings hope and succour to the underserved.
To its credit, Giving.ng decided to raise a N1 billion fund to support the healthcare workers who are helping people infected with the COVID-19 to get better. The fund enabled payments of a hazard allowance of N100,000 to frontline healthcare workers as opposed to their statutory hazard allowance estimated to be N5,000 only.
In his welcome address, Mr. Olajide Bamigbowu, President of the EMBA 24 Class, noted that the class was one of the very few programmes that COVID-19 could not disrupt.
He said, “The year 2020 will go down in history as the end and beginning of a new era. Just like we have dispensations marked by monumental occurrences, there will be many references to the pre and post COVID-19 era for generations to come.”
He said the year witnessed the full-blown impact of the novel virus which has challenged systems and ideologies. The virus disrupted all that it could and even those that people assumed it could not before it ushered in a new world,” Bamigbowu said.
