By Oluwaseyi Otitoju, Kechi Obassi and Khadija Mohammed
The Raw Materials Research and Development Council, RMRDC, has given a defining capacity building training workshop for about 40 youth and women entrepreneurs in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The 2-day strategic training workshop was designed to improve their knowledge of innovation, business leadership and other financial avenues to start and scale their business concerns or enterprises.
The event, held at the headquarters of the RMRDC in Abuja was organised by the Staff Development Division (SDD) of the Administrative and Human Resources Management Department (AHRMD). It was designed to equip participants with the knowledge required to build resilient and competitive enterprises.
The representative of the Director-General /CEO Mr Kayode Abiola who is the Overseeing Director of the Administrative and Human Resources Management Department said entrepreneurship is critical to the growth of the nation’s economy. ” The strength of the nation’s MSME is depends on the knowledge and information available to its entrepreneurs,” he said. “The training will undoubtedly place you the participants one step ahead and prepare you to thrive in the competitive business landscape here in Nigeria and also globally.”
During the program the participants were given in-depth presentations from resource persons with proven experiential track records in that area. The sessions were seamlessly coordinated by the resource persons.
You Might AlsoLike
The first session, which held on day one was delivered by an entrepreneurship coach Mr Olukayode Olushola who focused on innovation, design thinking and pitching. Mr O. Olushola informed the participants that these were the foundational elements that form the base of well-structured, sustainable and scalable business ventures.
The second session which took place on day two was delivered by Dr. Oludele Oyeku, a former Director of Extension Services and Linkages at the Federal Institute of Industrial Research (FIIRO) Oshodi and lecturer at Veritas University Abuja, taught the participants the core entrepreneurship principles of leadership, networkinng and business integrity. Dr. O. Oyeku also outlined practical pathways the participants can pursue for accessing finance, including grants, angel investment and crowd funding.
According to Dr. O. Oyeku, ” Experience is the best teacher but it doesn’t have to be yours. The right mentorship will save you time, reduce risk and accelerate your success.”
A few participants who spoke to the 360 online magazine crew described the profound impact the training workshop has had on them. One participant said, ” I’ve always struggled with expanding my business because I didn’t know where to start. This training has shown me new ways to be innovative with my business and attract further funding by using other people’s money (OPM). I honestly feel more confident about handling my business and about moving forward.”
Yet another participant also said, ” Learning what pitching means as well as the all important role that mentorship plays in business growth has opened my eyes to the immense opportunity I didn’t know existed. I now have a much clearer direction for my entrepreneurial journey.”
The two-day training workshop is part of the Council’s continuous effort to promote self-reliance, entrepreneurship within the Federal Capital Territories and across the nation.
