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 programs designed to improve service delivery, profitability and business management skills of young entrepreneurs.
The training in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states was a mentorship and capacity development program expected to onboard 50 renewable energy sector retailers.
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.
“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,” said Teslim Giwa, PIND’s Access to Energy Manager at the opening session of the training.
“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 on-boarded 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 the electricity at a very affordable cost.
“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.
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Speaking also at the training, Tayo Emmanuel Kehinde, CEO of Vectis – the lead training organization for the Retailers Linkage Program, “the training is expected to yield a huge result financially to enable young entrepreneurs to build their careers and create other income streams for themselves’’.
He added that “the mentorship will also make the participants understand there are untapped opportunities around renewable energy”.
“The onboarding of participants will register them to companies, link them to products and give them access to support. Resultantly, they will be able to reach out to more communities either in clusters or as individuals. They will see the opportunity to improve their lives.”
Rukky Iriferi, a female participant, expressed her gratitude to PIND and DMG Events for prioritizing inclusiveness and female participation in the Retailers Linkage Program, adding that at the end of the training, she would project the benefits of solar home systems (SHS) to all and sundry.
During the first five-day training in December 2021, participants were issued certificates after taking the examination and the Business Clinic took place in February this year. Each participant received a toolbox including a solar system and panel to enable them to market the product.
DMG is an event management company headquartered in Dubai, UAE since 1989 with operations in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Singapore, Canada, South Africa, Nigeria and the UK. DMG attracts more than 425,000 visitors to its portfolio of 84 exhibitions each year. They have now expanded operations to achieve impressive growth in emerging and mature markets by the strategic acquisition of complementary businesses and by geo-cloning our flagship events, where they adapt their core event brands to work across new countries and cultures.