PIND, DMG Empower 50 Young Entrepreneurs in Niger Delta With Renewable Energy Program
- A total of fifty (50) young entrepreneurs from the Niger Delta have received training to improve their enterprises
- The initiative is the brainchild of the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta and its partners
- Female participation was also prioritised in the programme to enable them to create other income streams for themselves
Niger Delta - As part of efforts to bridge the unemployment gap in the Niger Delta region, 50 budding entrepreneurs in three states in the region have received training on business linkages program designed to improve service delivery, profitability, and business management skills.
Legit.ng gathered that the training, in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers states was a mentorship and capacity development program expected to onboard 50 renewable energy sector retailers.
Source: Facebook
It followed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) and DMG-Events, Dubai, in May 2021, to improve the market for renewable energy in the Niger Delta of Nigeria through a Retailers Linkage Program.
Teslim Giwa, PIND’s Access to Energy Manager at the opening session of the training, said:
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“The Retailers Linkage Program is targeted at increasing the awareness of young entrepreneurs from retail enterprises in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states about procurement procedures and requirements, as well as enhancing networking opportunities among major dealers.
“This is essentially a business linkages program designed particularly for the Solar PV markets. Through this partnership, 50 MSMEs in the Niger Delta (Delta-10, Bayelsa-25, and Rivers -15) will be onboarded as retailers of renewable energy products.
“Also, we will be building their capacity as Solar PV professionals in an entry-level so they can become installers, and support the industry.”
Giwa explained that the Retailers Linkage Program fits into PIND’s access to energy model as communities that didn’t have access to energy and renewable energy technologies before, can now be introduced to the business modules which hand them electricity at a very affordable cost.
He added:
“While it is an income-generating activity for the entrepreneurs, the beneficiaries in the value chain are going to have access to electricity on the other hand. The energy needs of businesses and households in rural and semi-urban communities will be met from this two-pronged approach.”
He stressed the need for government, companies, and private sectors to partner with PIND to improve the economic and social welfare of the people in the Niger Delta.
Speaking also at the training, Tayo Emmanuel Kehinde, CEO of Vectis – the lead training organization for the Retailers Linkage Program, said:
“The training is expected to yield a huge result financially to enable young entrepreneurs build their careers and create other income streams for themselves.
“The mentorship will also make the participants understand there are untapped opportunities around renewable energy.”
FG, UN Agencies train MSMEs on how to manufacture healthcare products
In a related development, Nigerian women who operate small businesses are now being trained on how to produce healthcare-related products.
The project which is funded by the UN Basket fund is one of the responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria and will be held till the end of March 2022 in different locations (Abuja, Lagos, and Enugu).
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the four-week capacity building workshop on Monday, February 28 in Abuja, Patience Ekeoba, the national programme officer UN Women Nigeria, noted that the COVID-19 crisis-affected investment, growth, and employment in Nigeria.
Source: Legit.ng
