By Lucy Ogalue
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has commenced a specialised skills development programme for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Abuja.
Mr Philip Udeochu, SMEDAN’s Acting Director, Policy Planning, Research and Statistics, said this during the training on Thursday in Abuja.
According to Udeochu, the programme is aimed at equipping the participants with entrepreneurial and vocational skills for self-reliance and economic empowerment.
He said the initiative was part of the agency’s commitment to ensuring that vulnerable groups were not left out of the nation’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) development agenda.
Udeochu explained that the intervention targeted four categories of vulnerable persons, namely retirees, prison inmates, persons with disabilities and internally displaced persons.
According to him, the current training focuses on IDPs and combines entrepreneurship education with practical vocational skills in phone repairs and maintenance.
“As you all know, SMEDAN equips and empowers micro, small and medium enterprises.
“We also recognise that there are vulnerable groups in the society, and that is why we are extending this intervention to them.
“We want them to be part of the conversation when it comes to MSME development in Nigeria,” he said.
Udeochu said the participants would undergo entrepreneurship training to develop the right business mindset before receiving hands-on training from master trainers on phone repairs and maintenance.
According to him, beneficiaries will be assessed at the end of the programme before being empowered with the tools and equipment required to start their businesses.
“We want to do something different. It is not going to be business as usual.
“When we are done, we are going to test them before we empower them, and the empowerment will involve the equipment they need for the vocation.
“It will not end with the training because we are going to continuously mentor them,” he said.
Udeochu explained that future batches would focus on other vulnerable groups, depending on available resources.
During the entrepreneurship session, participants were trained on identifying business opportunities, basic marketing and sales techniques, and strategies for sustaining profitable business relationships.
The facilitators encouraged participants to develop an entrepreneurial mindset by looking beyond the obvious and identifying opportunities that others might overlook.
They were taught that successful entrepreneurs must be focused, persistent and willing to think outside the box.
The participants also received lessons on customer identification, understanding consumer needs, customer satisfaction and profit sustainability.
One of the participants, a person living with a physical disability, Mr Ikilowe Eric, expressed appreciation to SMEDAN for the opportunity.
He said the phone repair vocation was particularly suitable for persons with disabilities because it required minimal physical exertion.
“As a physically challenged person, phone repair is one of the easiest businesses for me to do because I can sit comfortably and work with my tools.
“In the next six months, I see myself establishing my own phone repair shop and becoming self-reliant,” he said.
Eric added that he hoped to eventually train other people after establishing his business.
Another participant, Mr Zeyano Abubakar, thanked the Federal Government and SMEDAN for organising the training.
“I am happy to be here today. I believe the education and practical knowledge we are receiving will help me achieve success,” he said.
The programme forms part of SMEDAN’s broader efforts to promote inclusive economic growth by equipping vulnerable groups with employable and entrepreneurial skills capable of generating sustainable livelihoods.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Mark Longyen
