ECOBANK branches nationwide are experiencing huge patronage from prospective participants in the reality TV series, The Entrepreneur.

Unveiled a fortnight ago, The Entrepreneur is designed to give Nigerians with small businesses or business ideas the chance to grow such businesses through free funding. The programme will offer at least 60 people the opportunity of accessing up to N1 million by convincing a panel of four judges that their ideas are worth sponsoring.

Feelers from the bank suggests that the hope of being one of the winners of the prize money coupled with the excitement of participating in the reality TV show could be responsible for the rush.

Responding to media questions, the bank’s Head of Corporate Affairs and Communications, Mrs. Yemi Wilde-Halim also attributed the rush to the fact that there will be many winners .According to her, the reality show sponsored by the bank in association with Vitamalt is designed in such a way to have most of the selected participants’ as winners, in as much as they have convincing business ideas.

This, she said, was unlike other reality shows that encourage the "winner takes all" phenomenon.

Mrs. Wilde-Halim explained that the Growing Business Foundation (GBF) and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN) were brought into the process to ensure that only people with genuine business ideas were selected at the auditioning stage.

The Entrepreneur
TV series, packaged by Inspire Media Production Company, is a platform designed to invest in innovative social enterprise that will help all the micro entrepreneurs to achieve a positive impact, empowering small businesses and alleviating poverty.

According to Goke Dokun, Executive Director of Inspire Media, candidates selected at the auditioning stage will have to face a panel of four people namely the Chairman, the adviser, the banker and the business angel. The panel will scrutinise each candidate’s idea, for relevance and content. The auditioning will be held in Kano , Aba and Lagos .

Ecobank Nigeria Plc, the Pan African bank has been known for supporting youth development initiatives, like the Idols musical talent hunt show. Ecobank is the main sponsor of the series, while Vitamalt Plc is the co-sponsor.