By Brown Chimezie
•The grant winners, organisers and sponsors at the grand finale of the skill acquisition program
SheCan Nigeria Initiative recently graduated over 300 participants at the Lagos State City Centre in Sura-Lagos.
This was a great achievement for the Sura community and was supported by The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC). The goal of the initiative was to help women realize their potential and enhance their capabilities. The women, who were drawn from Sura in Lagos, underwent training in various skills such as tie and dye making, event management, balloon artistry, household chemicals, pastry and culinary skills, and digital marketing.
The founder and convener of the project, Ezinne Ezeani, said that prior to the program, they conducted research to understand the needs of women in the community and what businesses thrive there. This helped them select the courses they taught. While the initiative has empowered over 2000 participants in the past, this particular training was targeted at participants from the Sura Community.
Ezinne Ezeani announced that another empowerment program will be held this year and that they are currently running a six-month program at the correctional center for girls in Idi-Araba, which started in October and ends this month.
The top performers in each class were rewarded with a grant of N1000 and startup equipment. There are four classes in total, plus digital marketing for everyone, where they learned how to sell their products and make their handiwork more marketable. Chinelo Juliet Chikezie, the best student in chemical production, said that she has always had a passion for mixing and producing chemicals.
She expressed her gratitude to the organizers for putting this together and for the exposure to many things she did not know before.
At the graduation ceremony, Mercy Elegbe, Head NGO, Human Resources, and Crisis Management at The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), expressed the company’s dedication to impacting the lives of women in Nigeria. She further added that supporting the Skill Acquisition Project is a way for them to give back to the community where they operate. Elegbe encouraged the graduates to take advantage of the opportunity given to them to be the best they can be with all the skills they have acquired.
Folashade Moyo-Falaye, Ethics & Compliance Manager at SPDC, stressed the importance of honesty, integrity, respect for people, and respect for the law as core values that the graduates must uphold to sustain their businesses and justify SPDC’s investment in their training. She congratulated the founder and convener of the Skill Acquisition program, Ezinne Ezeani, and her team, highlighting the impact of SheCan Nigeria’s values on the nation and expressing pride in partnering with the organization.