Abuja (ILO News): In furtherance to supporting potential and return migrants with income earning and employment opportunities in Nigeria, the International Labour Organization (ILO) conducted a Step down Training on the Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) programme for three Trainers who are staff of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment (FMLE) and are currently being certified as SIYB trainers. 

The training which was organized within the framework of the GIZ-funded Initiative for Labour Migration, Employment and Reintegration in Nigeria and Ghana took place in Abuja from 29 July to 2 August. The trainers had to apply previously acquired skills by training a group of 10 (potential) entrepreneurs in how to start a business.

Participants were supported in the development of bankable business plans, intended to serve as foundational business proposals for both kick-starting new and expanding existing businesses. Some 60 per cent of participants were women.

Mr. Guy Ryder, Director-General of the ILO, who was in Abuja on the occasion of the Global Youth Employment Forum, took time off to visit the training venue and interact with participants.   

In his remarks, the Mr. Ryder expressed satisfaction with the Initiative, noting that the beneficiaries of the programme comprised an important segment of the population that was currently shaping global discourse. He iterated the need to sustain the training and enquired about the backgrounds and pathways of participants.

Participants noted that the training had afforded them an understanding of how to develop and fine-tune their entrepreneurial ideas and business plans. Planned and existing businesses ranged from fish farming to data analytics. A returning migrant highlighted his work aimed at educating potential migrants about the dangers of migration.

Going forward, staff of the Migrant Resource Centres in Lagos and Benin City will provide similar training to their clients. By the end of August, some 9 candidates will be certified as SIYB trainers and thereby delivering business development training to some 70 (potential) entrepreneurs.