AFRICA BIDS FAREWELL TO ONE OF ITS FINEST ICONS IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AS LATE PROF. IKEME IS BURIED
It was a mix of tears and celebration of life well spent as Prof. Alex Ike Ikeme – the Founding Director of The Entrepreneurship Development Center (EDC) – South East was buried in his home town Onitsha. The burial ceremony attracted dignitaries from the Government, Academic, Entrepreneurship, Religious and Community sectors both within and outside Nigeria. This was an indication of the level of impact Late Prof Ikeme made in the lives of people. He spent the greater part of his life, selflessly working for humanity and communities.
Prof. Ike Ikeme was also the former Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship Development and Research (CEDR), University of Nigeria Nsukka. He revived the Center and turned it into one of the best Centers for Entrepreneurship Research and Development in Africa. Prof. Alex Ikeme, popularly known as the Action Dean, was a former Dean Faculty of Agriculture, UNN. He also served in several other Universities like University of Mkar, Benue State and Veritas University, where he established their Entrepreneurship Development Centers.
During his tenure as the Director of Entrepreneurship Development Centers (EDC), which was an initiative of Central Bank Nigeria under Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo CFR, a lot of breakthroughs were recorded in the areas of entrepreneurial studies and enterprise development in the South East and parts of South South including Rivers, Cross River and Akwa Ibom States, as well as Benue State of the North Central part of the country.
He was also the Founder and Chairman of United Aid International, an organization that focuses on human capital and youth enterprise development.
In his community, Onitsha, Prof. Alex Ikeme became a beacon of hope and inspiration to the young people, playing a key role in transforming so many youths in the areas of enterprise and academic development. He played a very important role in the development of the framework for Entrepreneurship Development and Skill Acquisition Project (EDSAP), as well as its implementation from 2016 till date. EDSAP is a well structured youth enterprise development model that has produced so many entrepreneurs within the Onitsha community. Prof. Ikeme also offered free training and mentoring to thousands of Onitsha youths and other youths in so many other communities in Africa. He also served as the member of board Onitsha Leadership and Entrepreneurship Center (OLEC), which is an arm of Onitsha Advancement Foundation (OnAF).
In 2010, he facilitated the introduction of Entrepreneurship Training as part of the Long Vacation Training (LVT) programme done for secondary school students in Onitsha.
Prof. Alex Ikeme also served as a Trainer and Mentor in the Kickstart Programme of International Breweries PLC, where he had mentored thousands of youths, who are presently doing very well in life and in their businesses.
All in all Prof. Ikeme has trained and mentored over 300,000 youths across Africa, inspiring hope, success and impact in African Societies.
The accomplishment of Prof. Alex Ike Ikeme is endless in all segments of societal advancement both within and outside Nigeria and his legacies will continue to live on.
