As part of efforts to address the issue of desperate migration by rural and urban dwellers to cities, an NGO, Zaram Life Foundation, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, has organized a one-day empowerment programme for rural dwellers in Aguata Council Area of Anambra State.
The programme tagged ‘Building Resilient Communities Through Sustainable Entrepreneurship’ was held at Isuofia.
The event brought together many aspiring and established entrepreneurs from Aguata communities.
Aspects of the programme also aimed to provide practical knowledge and essential resources to support sustainable business practices and promote economic resilience.
In a keynote address, the host, Eucheria Onyemaobi, the coordinator of Zaram Life Foundation, expressed the foundation’s vision to empower local communities through entrepreneurship, emphasizing the need for collaboration and innovative solutions to overcome economic challenges.
She also explained that the initiative was to make businesses at the grassroots viable so that entrepreneurs would not consider migrating to the cities.
According to her, the empowerment resulted from a needs assessment the Foundation conducted across the benefiting communities.
“The purpose is that we need to reach the grassroots. We need to communicate with the communities directly.
“And this empowerment was a result of a need assessment we conducted, where we went to communities to identify small-scale businesses so that we can support them.
“We want to address the root causes of desperate migration by empowering rural dwellers in their communities. This is because we believe that when our communities can do better for themselves, the spate of urban-city migration will drop significantly,” she said.
Onyemaobi revealed that collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment was because they have a well-equipped skill acquisition centre, where trainees can stay up to six months and at least 300 persons can be trained at once.
She expressed gratitude to their sponsor, Chief Chika Okeke, a former President General of the Isuofia Community, who, she said, provided a lot of support to enable the Foundation to put smiles on people’s faces.
A Federal Ministry of Labour representative, Mr Victor Okpala described the workshop as a critical step towards reducing unemployment and promoting sustainable economic development, reminding youths that they are responsible for what they become.
The guest speaker at the event, D-GreatSam, an entrepreneur and business coach, delivered a highly engaging session on the theme, stressing the importance of resilience in business, particularly for small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), while providing practical insights into business planning, innovation, and financial management.
His session resonated with the attendees, eager to implement the knowledge gained to strengthen their enterprises.
One of the beneficiaries, Nneka Ofor, who received a sewing machine, expressed her gratitude, saying the support would help her expand her tailoring business, enable her to train others and create jobs in her community.
Another beneficiary, Ifeanyi Eze, who received a generator, spoke about the challenges of running a barbershop without reliable electricity and how the equipment would significantly improve his business operations.
