Creating an environment where businesses can thrive even in this era of COVID -19 pandemic was the focus of speeches made at 2020 virtual Colloquium on COVID -19 organised by the UNIZIK Business School, Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka.


The Colloquium which has ‘Sustainability of Livelihoods and Businesses in Developing Economies’ as its theme, had discussants and participants from different parts of the country and from the diaspora forming part of the colloquium.


While declaring the event open, the Vice Chancellor Nnamdi Azikiwe University , Awka, Professor Charles Esimone said the colloquium is apt considering the effect of COVID-19 pandemic on businesses, including large, medium or small scale enterprises, adding that meetings like the colloquium will redirect the minds of business owners on how to get it right.


In an opening speech, the Director UNIZIK Business School Professor A U Nonyelu, pointed out that small scale businesses and other entrepreneurs should be given holiday in payment of taxes and levies to enable them bounce back since according to him, all business promote livelihood, which he noted formed part of the theme for the virtual colloquium”Sustainability of livelihoods and businesses in developing Economies”.


The Chairman of the colloquium, Professor Elis Idemobi of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, explained that UNIZIK Business School has never failed in its duties of providing solution to challenges facing business environment in the state and the country at large, expressing satisfaction that the colloquium achieved the desired effect.


In a presentation, the lead discussant Professor Sunny Nwankwo who said that the greatest obstacle to business growth is enabling environment, added that COVID -19 is market creator, such that every business should adapt to the changes in business as created by the pandemic, even as he highlighted various dimensions that should be adopted to make a positive change in hitherto failed businesses.


In a presentation, another discussant Dr Ifeanyi Okoye ,the Managing Director And Chief Executive Officer of JUHEL industries, who said though businesses have suffered serious challenges necessitated by COVID-19, both the people and businesses must survive especially now that development partners are no longer showing interest in a country where better part of materials are sourced from overseas, charging the government to create an avenue for materials to be manufactured in Nigeria for the country’s economy to be stable.


In their Separate presentations, other discussants including Dr. Okey Ikechukwu, a business strategy consultant, Mrs. Ugochi Akwuiwu -Onyiuke, the Supervisor Operations Performance Nigeria Petroleum Development Company and an Inspirational Speaker, Mrs. Florence Igboayaka based in the United Kingdom, noted that the World bank envisaged that about five million people will be poor due to the pandemic, and advised entrepreneurs to think out of the box, do something differently to boost their businesses and to leverage on the cyber space such as virtual meeting to advertise their products and watch them grow in due time, and also stressed the need for synergy between government, private and public sectors in order to get out of the tough situation.


The Chairman Local Organizing Committee of the programme Dr Chinedu Onyeizugbe, who is also the Assistant Director UNIZIK Business school called for collaboration between the government and the school in improving businesses in the state and the country by extension, even as he appreciated all who joined the colloquium from all parts of the world.

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