The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Wednesday charged outgoing trainees in bag-making to establish cooperatives and business hubs to bolster their performance and productivity and engender an ecosystem for a thriving bag-making industry in the country.
Speaking at the close-out ceremony of a bag-making training and empowerment programme at the UNDP Multipurpose Vocational Training Centre, Warri, the Executive Secretary of the Board, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, advised the start-ups to shun the temptation of operating in isolation to enable them develop the requisite clout for credit facilities and wide patronage.
According to him, “With a cooperative you’ll have access to funds from the financial institutions because they are looking at the entire cooperative and not at you as an individual.” He pointed out that those who operate independently often get frustrated by the stringent requirements from the banks, with the result that their businesses suffer stagnation.
While commending the excellent quality of the bags produced by the outgoing trainees, Engr. Ogbe, who was represented by the Senior Technical Assistant on Projects, Mr. Harmony Kunu, advised them to also look out for opportunities to create bag-making hubs by teaming up with members practicing their trade in neighbouring communities or states.
In his words, “If you are from Akure or Ilaje area [in Ondo State] and you are about three or four, it will be better to have a hub, a bag-making hub within that zone,” pointing out that such an operational strategy gives them visibility. He pointed out that “There are people who are ready to buy these bags, take them to Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana, and sell.”
He advised that as cooperatives or business hubs they would need to have social media websites where they project their businesses and their capacity to manufacture bags that meet the taste of prospective customers, noting that organisations could place orders for bags as souvenirs for their social events.
The NCDMB boss advised them to strive for continuous self-improvement, bearing in mind that creativity is required for their products to be attractive and competitive.
In an opening address at the event, the Chairman of F.C.I. International Limited, the training organisation, Mr. Fortune Idu, said the outgoing trainees passed through a rigorous and comprehensive training programme designed “to equip them with the capacity to design, craft, and make various types of bags using a range of materials, including leather, tafita, fabric, polyester, and lightweight boards.”
According to him, FCI International Technical Training Centre combined techniques from the United Kingdom, European Union and China to develop a boot camp format that is second to none in Nigeria for the purpose of the training.
He expressed profound appreciation to the NCDMB and the Executive Secretary for creating avenues for development of vital skills and inculcation of entrepreneurial spirit in citizens. In his words, the Board under his leadership is “demonstrating the true meaning of Nigeria’s content development by equipping and inspiring Nigerians to create their content using local resources, building local skills, and employing their people.”
He said his organisation is prepared to work with the NCDMB to redevelop and equip the UNDP Multipurpose Vocational Training Centre or other run-down technical centres as incubator and boot camps. He also proposed the establishment of mini-factories or production centres to enable trained youths to form a business cluster, where their strengths and skills can be aggregated for global market competition.
In a note of appreciation, a representative of the students said NCDMB enriched their knowledge and empowered them through the training opportunity and starter packs.
Each of the 20 outgoing trainees received a brand-new industrial machine and accessories to enable them to begin practicing their trade without any delay. FCI International, which provided the two-month training, owns and operates NIGAV Centre at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
On the NCDMB team at the event were the Zonal Coordinator for Abia and Imo States, Dr. Ema Ohaere, his Delta, Edo counterpart, Mr. James Eyitegha, and a Supervisor in the Corporate Communications Department, Mr. Ifeanyi Nwokemodo
