By Prosper Okoye
The Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) program has been recognized by development stakeholders as a means to address poverty and other socioeconomic challenges in Nigeria. This was disclosed during separate interviews at the end of a training of trainers in Abuja recently.
SIYB Master Trainer Osita Osemene said the SIYB is a global business product developed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) for entrepreneurs.
Mr. Oseme, who is also the Director of the Patriotic Citizen Initiative (PCI), said he has seen the SIYB training model perform in other countries. “It has also been impactful on return migrants since 2017, as it was adopted by the International Office for Migration (IOM) to help Nigerians resettle.”
He said more Nigerians, including those in rural areas, would benefit from the program if it is embraced and valued, as the training is expanding to other stakeholders, not necessarily in the migration field.
It was gathered that about a dozen people drawn from non-governmental and governmental organizations participated in the training, which lasted for over a week.
One of the beneficiaries, a Senior Enterprise Development Officer at the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) Delta State Office, Igwenwanne Vincent, said the training has equipped them with the requisite knowledge to build entrepreneurs.
“Yes, I am a trainer, but when I came for this SIYB training, I found out that I was learning. There is a manual used in training, which is not obtained in any other business training program,” he said.
Mr. Vincent decried the fixated mindset of most Nigerians on white-collar jobs, which kills creativity and entrepreneurship, thereby fostering poverty.
“In countries like Uganda, where SIYB has thrived, we found out that most of the populace were more open to entrepreneurship. Come to think of it, what can someone who earns twenty or thirty thousand Naira doing a white-collar job achieve with it?” he asked.
However, he also called on the government to improve on social amenities that drive businesses, such as electricity, to enable those who are in business to succeed.
Another beneficiary of the training program, Child Protection Network (CPN) National Coordinator, Olakunle Sanni, said the knowledge from the SIYB training is a game-changer in stopping the incidents of child abuse. “As a trainer, it builds our capacity not just to respond to issues of abuse but to prevent it.
“Because when there are resources in the family and skills to manage their business, it discourages the occurrence of parents giving away their children for labor as a result of their inability to cater for them,” he explained.
Stakeholders noted that the program aligns with the harsh economic realities of the country and expressed appreciation to the IOM for the opportunity to participate in the training.
