Brewery boosts 19 small businesses with N5.7m in Anambra

Life Lager Continental Beer has empowered 19 entrepreneurs with N5.7 million during the fourth edition of its Life Progress Booster at Ekwulobia in Anambra.
Rex-Anthony Anieke, the Assistant Brand Manager, Life Lager Continental beer, told newsmen on Tuesday that Life Progress Booster was a platform targeted at supporting upcoming young businesses.
Anieke said that the company had so far empowered more than 800 people since the company launched its Community Social Responsibility for South-East businessmen and women in 2015.
He said: “The Life Progress Booster is a platform targeted to support upcoming businesses, especially in the South East, where the core value is to make progress from trade.
“The small boost of N300, 000 per beneficiary is to help them make more progress in their trade.”
He said that the company received over 700 business proposals across the region but 19 people emerged winners.
Anieke said: “Since we started doing this, it has been a huge success, particularly among beneficiaries we monitored.”
Anieke said that winners were selected after a thorough consideration of proposals and interviews.
He said that other editions of the programme would hold in Asaba, Port-Harcourt and Aba within the year.
One of the beneficiaries, Calistus Ugochukwu, whose Printing Press business was based in Oko, Anambra, said the money would assist him to purchase digital image and identity card printing machines.
Ugochukwu said: “These two machines have been my desire because most times I travel to Awka from Oko to print my work.
“Now, there is no need to go to Awka again for printing of coloured jobs and identity cards.”
Another beneficiary, Gift Samuel, 25, said the money would assist in purchasing more chairs, tables, refrigerator and a generator set in her bar and restaurant business located at Nanka in Anambra.
Also, Ejikeme Ememadukwe, 30, a fashion designer from  Amanuke community in Awka North Local Government Area, urged the company to sustain the programme to benefit others.
Ememadukwe said: “Now, I have the money I need to boost my business; this is real and I thank those producing the Life brand.
“They should continue the good work in the lives of other young entrepreneurs.”