UE/R: SOCO PROJECT FACILITATORS URGED TO WORK HARD FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE PROJECT – DCE NABDAM
By – Prosper Adaakai
The first twenty two cohort of the GrowAfrica For Me SkillBuilders Programme in Tote Bag Production has successfully completed an intensive two-week training programme designed to equip participants with both technical and entrepreneurial skills to build sustainable businesses.
The training combined practical craftsmanship with business development, reflecting the organisation’s commitment to transforming skills into viable enterprises through its innovative Skill-to-Enterprise (S2E) Module.
The programme concluded with an engaging session on Business Development and Market Access, where participants were introduced to practical strategies for identifying market opportunities, developing sustainable business growth plans, building strategic partnerships, and connecting their products to profitable markets.
According to GrowAfrica For Me, the initiative is not simply about teaching vocational skills but empowering participants to become entrepreneurs, job creators, and agents of economic transformation within their communities.
During the second week of training, participants moved from classroom instruction to hands-on production, creating school bags and handbags while applying the technical knowledge they had acquired. The practical sessions highlighted participants’ growing confidence, creativity, and craftsmanship, producing market-ready products with significant commercial potential.
Programme facilitators noted that every product completed during the training represented more than a finished item. Each bag symbolised a journey of empowerment, self-confidence, and the beginning of an entrepreneurial career.
Beyond technical production, participants received comprehensive training in entrepreneurship, financial management, customer relations, marketing, product packaging, and trade fair participation. The organisers stressed that combining Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) with entrepreneurship remains a powerful strategy for promoting inclusive economic development, creating employment opportunities, and increasing household incomes.
GrowAfrica For Me says its success is measured not by the number of people trained but by the number of sustainable enterprises established and supported through the programme.
One of the participants, Mary Naakpi Assumpta Nwintere, a fashion designer, described the programme as life-changing.
She said the training had broadened her understanding of entrepreneurship beyond production, equipping her with practical knowledge in marketing, customer relationship management, financial management, product packaging, and business growth.
“The Skills Builders Programme has equipped me with practical skills in entrepreneurship, marketing, customer relationship management, product packaging, trade fair participation and financial management. One of the biggest takeaways is the importance of separating personal finances from business finances. Going forward, I will reinvest 40 percent of my profits into my business, pay myself 40 percent as the business owner, and save the remaining 20 percent as an emergency fund to ensure sustainable growth,” she said.
As the first cohort concludes, GrowAfrica For Me says the journey has only just begun. The organisation remains committed to nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs by ensuring participants move beyond acquiring skills to building resilient businesses capable of creating jobs and driving local economic development.
Source – gbcuraonline.com
