Total trains, empowers 25 with SME skills in Ibadan

A leading energy company in the country, Total E & P Nigeria Limited has graduated another batch of 25 young Nigerians with livelihood skills for self-reliance in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.

The six weeks training saw the trainees trained in five different skills of endeavours for five weeks while a week was devoted to entrepreneurship training on how to manage and run independent businesses by the trainees.

The training held in collaboration with Isura Empowerment had five trainees each trained in the areas of beading and jewellery makings; batik, tie and dye; dressmaking; mobile phone repairs and basic solar production and installations. The beneficiaries were selected from the Olorunsogo -Agbatan community in Felele area of the capital city.

The event tagged the Totalpreneur graduation ceremony held at the Scout Camp, neighbourhood Market, Molete, Ibadan, Oyo state had in attendance,  the state commissioner for Youths and Sports, Mr Abayomi Oke, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Political Mobilisation, Mr Abiodun Ambali, top officials of Total Limited, the Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Planning Commission, Mrs Mofoluke Adebiyi, other top government functionaries, officials and facilitators from Isura Empowerment, market leaders, community leaders among others.

Aside from the certificate of competence and completion of training presented to the trainees, each of the 25 trainees also got their business starter kits in their different areas of training to help them kick-start their small-scale business.

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While commending Total Limited for the efforts at empowering the youths with livelihood skills for self-reliance and independent, the states Youth and Sports commissioner, Mr Ayobami Oke said, small and medium scale enterprises are the secret to fighting poverty and unemployment across the country.

He said the state is glad to collaborate with the oil and gas firm to help empower the youths and give them a ray of hope to living, pleading that more of such efforts should be replicated in other parts of the states, especially in the rural communities.

He promised the support of the government to the facilitator, noting that the state government will by the gesture be encouraged to continue its efforts of skills acquisition and empowerments with other international agencies and corporate organizations.

In his remarks, the company’s Executive General Manager, CSR, Mr Vincent Nnadi said the Totalpreneur is a corporate social responsibility initiative of Total E & P Nigeria Limited, designed with the objective of training and empowering Nigerian youths with livelihood skills for self-reliance to addressing the challenge of the growing number of school leavers with limited job opportunities.

He said “With the growing number of school leavers and a disproportionate number of job opportunities, we believe that human capacity development leading to gainful self-employment is one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty and ensure sustainable economic growth.

“Through our capacity development initiatives, Total aims to empower as many people as possible and actively support nation-building efforts in the line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals number one and eight which are ‘No poverty’ and ‘decent work and economic growth’, respectively.

“As of today, more than 15,000 individuals have been trained by Total in different skills and given starter packs to launch their careers in entrepreneurship adding their quota to national growth and economic indices.”

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Isura Empowerment, Mrs Efe Fagbeja said empowering young people with the training which is a livelihood skill will reduce poverty among the youth.

She said beneficiaries which are between the ages of 22 to 35 male and females were selected and recommended by their community leaders and were screened for the six weeks programme.

The representatives of each of the vocational skills group who spoke on behalf of their various groups thanked Totalpreneur for the empowerment programme, promising to put the skills into use in a way that would add value to the society.

The speakers who expressed satisfaction at the training said they are determined to market their products aggressively in a way that would help build sustainable business that will add value to the society.