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Young entrepreneurs in the country on Friday, October 30, 2015 received a boost as Total Nigeria Plc and Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria launched the Challenge "Startupper of the year by Total," at a press conference held in Lagos.

The initiative launched simultaneously by the Total Group in 34 countries in Africa, is designed to identify, reward and provide support to the best business creation and business development projects under two years of existence in Nigeria.

The occasion was also an opportunity for members of the press to meet some members of the jury and the company’s management to ask relevant questions about the competition.

The winning projects will be granted the “Startupper of the year 2016 by Total” label, as well as financial assistance of N6m, N4m and N2m respectively for the first, second and third positions. The winners will also benefit from a coaching programme from Total Nigeria Plc and Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria.

The three winners of the competition will emerge after a pre-selection process, by a jury of professionals, from ten of the best submitted projects in Nigeria based on specific criteria which include innovation, originality, audacity and potential to impact on socio-economic development of the Nigerian society and its people.

Journalists covering the competition were encouraged to see beyond the immediate reward to the three winners and consider the inspirational and catalytic value to other participants, noting that there was no limit to how far any participant could go once they have been galvanized into business.

“What the entrepreneur needs is empowerment and visibility,” Managing Director of Total Nigeria PLC, told members of the press and guests at the event.

The call for free submission of projects is open to all Nigerian citizens aged thirty-five years and below.

The Registration portal opened November 1, 2015 (8:00 GMT), and can be accessed directly online at: http://startupper.total.com/ . Candidates will have until January 31, 2016 (23:00 GMT) to submit their applications

The list of finalists will be published on the competition website by February 28, 2016.

The complete contest rules are available online on the dedicated website (http://startupper.total.com/).

The Challenge “Startupper of the year by Total” is part of Total’s global initiative of supporting the socioeconomic development of all the countries where it operates worldwide. It is a concrete action launched to locally contribute to the reinforcement of the industrial fabric and to employment on the African continent, by supporting the most daring and innovative entrepreneurs in realizing their project. This approach targets the emergence of new initiatives, while respecting the Total Group values.