Exploring The Igbo Apprenticeship System And How it Raises Young Business Leaders
The Igbo of Eastern Nigeria have a cultural practice that is unique to them. This culture is called apprenticeship or 'boy boy' in local parlance. It is a system in which young persons who aspire to go into business learn under the tutelage of an already established master.
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Before the apprentice goes to live and work under the master, there is usually a written agreement specifying the terms of service, including the agreed number of years. After these number of years, the master is expected to provide seed capital with which the trainee kick-starts his own business.
Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Ndubuisi Ekekwe provided further insights:
"The Igbos in Africa has been practicing for centuries what is today known as stakeholder capitalism. The Igbo apprenticeship system (IAS) is a communal enterprising framework where successful businesses develop others, and over time provide capital and pass along their customers to the new businesses. Few businesses grow to become very dominant, and in doing so, they create a largely equal community where everyone has opportunities. The key focus of IAS is to prevent poverty by mass scaling opportunities for everyone.
"The IAS has been recognized as the largest business incubator in the world as thousands of ventures are developed and established yearly through it. While many have noted that the Igbo apprenticeship system could be reformed to provide better protection to the young apprentices, others have argued that formalizing the process will distort the natural equilibrium where people derive pride that they helped younger people. Nonetheless, for the Igbos and some Africans, it is a working system which has brought equality and peaceful coexistence in communities."
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How the Igbo apprenticeship system operates
There has to be an expression of interest, either from the master or the prospective apprentice. Sometimes, it is the master who desires to have an apprentice under his tutelage and, therefore, goes out in search of one. Most times, the master lives in the city and would have to return to his village to search for and pick a suitable apprentice for training. When he finds one, he tells the family of the prospective apprentice and arrangement is made for an agreement to be written
However, it is sometimes required that the prospective apprentice goes to the city with his master first to see what the master's business is about. After a successful trial, they go back to the village to draft an agreement specifying the terms and years of service.
At other times, it is the prospective apprentice who goes out in search of a master after deciding to learn a trade. Whichever one happens first, the procedure follows the same pattern. The number of years could vary, depending on what is agreed upon, but an average apprenticeship could last between four to ten years.
People recruited into apprenticeships
While this is not the rule, many people who go into apprenticeship are usually from a poor background or those whose parents are too poor to train in higher education. Instead of staying idle and becoming a nuisance to the communities, they decide to educate themselves through the informal way by learning a trade.
Again, Ndubuisi Ekekwe clarifies how this happens:
"In a very practical sense, you have a scenario where a man, trading in a city, returns to his village, picks three children (usually boys), who might have lost their fathers or the families are too poor to train them, and decides to ensure they have meaningful lives. Those children serve him for some years — a period of apprenticeship — and upon completion, he invites his kinsmen, business partners, and others as he “settles” them."
What happens when the apprentice goes to live with the master
During the agreed years of apprenticeship, the master takes a special interest in developing the apprentice. The apprentice is also expected to pay close attention to learning the trade because the primary aim is to teach him to stand independently.
The master exposes the apprentice to many aspects of his business. He teaches him how to attract and retain customers, restock the shop if he is into buying and selling, make wise and timely investments, and develop partnerships with those in similar lines of business.
With practice and as time goes on, the apprentice becomes stable and knowledgeable in the business and only requires minimal supervision from the master. It goes without saying that the apprentice is expected to contribute to his master's business positively.
The day of settlement
After a successful service, the master is expected to make arrangements and "settle" the apprentice with seed capital to enable him to start his own business. Just like how people gathered on the day the service agreement was written, they would be called to witness the "settlement." It is usually a day of merriment as the 'boy boy' is congratulated for a successful service. Sometimes, it is not only cash that is used to settle the apprentice as he could be given a shop stocked with goods or connected to a dealership where he could take goods under the cover of his master.
Of course, it does not always end in joy, as some apprenticeships end in tears and heartbreak. There have been cases where the master refuses to settle the apprentice under one excuse or the other. Sometimes, the fault could be from the apprentice and how he attended to his duties or the master, who may not have the means to carry out the settlement.
Ndubuisi Ekekwe concludes:
"That said, many have noted that the Igbo apprenticeship system could be reformed to provide better protection to the young people who become apprentices to mitigate any abuse from their masters. Having a registry for contracts administered by community elders with municipal power to enforce redress will ensure that contracts on settlements are honored once the young person has served as agreed. But most acknowledge that formalizing the process with written contracts and bringing governments onboard will distort the natural equilibrium where people derive pride that they helped to uplift younger people."
Master refuses to settle apprentice
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that an apprentice said his boss failed to settle him after service.
The man said he worked hard for his boss in Aba, Abia state, but was accused of plotting to kill his boss' son.
Because of the false accusation, he was not given anything after his many years of service, and he decided to relocate abroad.
Source: Legit.ng
