Life Continental Lager Beer, a brand of beverage from the stable of Nigerian Breweries, has initiated a programme aimed at breathing life into Small and Medium-scale Enterprises, SMEs in the South Eastern part of Nigeria. The package, worth N12.5 million and dubbed Progress Booster, is an innovative talent hunt and mentoring programme that will empower entrepreneurs in the zone.

Speaking at the launch of the scheme in Onitsha recently, Emma Agu, Marketing Manager, Lager & Stout, Nigerian Breweries, stated that Progress Booster is a radio reality project meant to empower 50 budding entrepreneurs that have submitted workable business proposals to the brand’s outlets in the region.

He explained that the empowerment scheme which would run from May to December 2015, was to re-launch and reinvigorate Life Continental Lager Beer in the South East market where it pioneered regional brewing and has maintained leadership of the region’s booming market.

Agu noted that a winner, whose proposal must have been approved by business experts, would be given N250,000 to start-up his or her business idea that won him the money while being supervised by business experts for the next three months. He added that while being supervised for three months, if the business of the budding entrepreneur is still doing well; he would be given another N250, 000.