GE, the world’s premier Digital Industrial Company has announced a partnership with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to empower Youth Corps members with valuable entrepreneurial skills in line with its commitment to skills development in Nigeria.

Known as the Start & Improve Your Business (SIYB) training programme, the initiative which is based on the curriculum of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), will see thousands of youth corps members receive critical entrepreneurial training.

The overall goal is to improve on and increase the capacity of the youth in building Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that can operate effectively and be sustainable long-term. It has been recognised that even at the best of times, employers of labor in the economy will not have the capacity to absorb all the entrants.

This has led to a need to promote the development of small and medium scale enterprises, to create self- employment opportunities and expand the scope for job creation, as research findings indicate clearly that 60-70% of new jobs are created by the SME sector.

Speaking when he led a team on a courtesy visit to the Director General of the NYSC in Abuja on Monday, Managing Director of GE Gas Power Systems in Nigeria, Mohammed Mijindadi, explained that the initiative was one of the many ways GE is supporting skills development in Nigeria.

“We are committed to the sustainable development of Africa and Nigeria in particular, and as such we invest in skills development initiatives that empower people with valuable skills, equip communities with new tools and technology and elevate ideas that are helping to solve Africa’s challenges,” Mijindadi said.
Giving more insights, he explained that the program works using a Train the Trainer approach where NYSC personnel and facilitators are trained utilising an international curriculum benchmarked to global standards. Following that, the facilitators are supported to execute training programs for all youth corps members across the country.

The initiative, Mijindadi added, “is a practical business management-training programme with a focus on starting and improving small businesses.”
The SIYB program initiative is part of GE’s commitment to skills development in Nigeria in support of the Federal Government’s job creation objectives. The government plans to create 15 million jobs by 2020 as indicated in its 2017 Economic and Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP) and for Nigerian youth to embrace this opportunity they need to have the right skills.
Speaking on the partnership, Roti Balogun, Chief Talent and Skills Development Leader for GE Africa and Corporate Champion for the Nigerian Economic Summit Group Human Capital Development commission added

“We are pleased to lead a private sector response to some of our commitments from the recently concluded NES23 summit on skills, competencies and capacity building with a focused strategy on faculty development in Nigeria. We remain committed to entrepreneurial leadership development across the continent with programs such as the SIYB.”
Responding, Brigadier-General Kazaure commended the partnership with GE stating that the SIYB program is aligned and complimentary to the NYSC’s efforts in setting up skill acquisition centers in the country’s six geo-political zones.

He expressed interest in continuing to partner with GE to build capacity and encouraged other private sector players to look for similar ways to support the agency.
GE has created several skills development initiatives in Nigeria, a prime example being the Lagos Garage- a hub for advanced manufacturing-based innovation, strategy development, idea generation and collaboration.

Co-located with the GE Lagos offices in Victoria Island, the Lagos Garage offers a year-round series of skills training programs focused on building the next generation of Nigerian entrepreneurs. Till date, 140 entrepreneurs have graduated the program having been trained to use the latest in advanced manufacturing technologies; 3D printers, CNC mills, and laser cutters as well as in business development.

In a major boost to its Corporate Social Responsibility profile, Dangote Cement Plc, Ibese Plant has announced a multi-million Naira educational scholarship award for 115 students from its 15 host communities for the 2017/2018 academic session.
The Company said the scholarship has become an annual event meant to contribute to the educational development of the people and the area and position them in right place in the scheme of things in Ogun state and Nigeria in general.
Acting Plant Director of Dangote Cement, Ibese, Mr. Louis Raj, while speaking during the presentation of cheques to the beneficiaries at Ibese Plant explained that the management decided to increase the number of beneficiaries to 115 from the previous 80 so that more children of the area could benefit.
He also said the decision was meant to encourage the young ones to go to school as a sure way of building them mentally and morally so that they be good to themselves and the society.
According to him, the scholarship award is just one of the many Social Services the Company has committed itself to and continue to provide other social services as a way of giving back to the society within which it operates.
Mr. Raj stated that the scholarship award and other CSR projects were being undertaken as a way of saying thanks to the people for maintenance and sustenance of peace in the area pointing out that it was the prevailing atmosphere of peace that make the company to operate smoothly.
He expressed the management gratitude to the royal fathers and other community leaders whose efforts have accounted for the peace and tranquility, noting that the company would wish the spirit of peaceful coexistence continues.
The General Manager, Government and Community Relations, Joseph Alabi while giving the breakdown of the scholarship said the award covered 115 students of Yewa origin studying various courses across several higher institutions of learning in the country.
Some of the schools where the beneficiaries are studying include Polytechnics, Universities, College of Educations, College of Technologies, and secondary schools scattered across Ogun state.
Alabi also announced a list of candidates from the host communities who have been selected to attend Dangote Academy for training in various arts and vocations pointing out that the training will equip them with wherewithal to work and do their own business whenever they chose to.
“In Dangote Group, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to our communities is our watchword and focus. Giving scholarships, construction of roads and drainages, provision of transformers and other projects to connect communities to national grid, among others are what will do every year. We award scholarships to communities in order to give the communities part of wealth being created.”
“I think everything is not about money but the main benefit is to provide them the opportunity to have better education and in the future, if they are good students, well-qualified, we will also offer them opportunities to work here at Ibese Cement Plant. This is part of CSR to ensure good relations, good partnership with our communities,” he added.
In his remark, the Olu of Imasayi, Oba Gbadebo Oni said the host communities are happy with Dangote Cement with its handling of community issues, saying Alhaji Aliko Dangote deserves all the cooperation his people could muster for citing the cement plant in their land and then taking care of the people and the communities.
He promised that his people would continue to give peace a chance always because to whom much is given, much is expected. The Monarch said the education scholarship is the best thing that has happened to the host communities because the issue of quality education cannot be quantified in monetary terms.
The scholarship according to him, has offered a big relief to parents who have to struggle so much to ensure their children school fees are paid, saying they will forever be grateful to the management of Dangote cement.
It would be recalled that the company had some years ago instituted scholarships for the indigenes of any of the host communities in any higher institution and secondary schools with the management saying it was poised to making life more meaningful to all members of the host communities with a promise to ensure that all projects meet the specific need of each community.
Also, the Dangote Cement Plc, Gboko factory in Benue State had also given out N20 million worth of scholarships to indigent students from the firm’s host community, Mbayion, as part of its CSR in the last one year.
The Group also emerged Nigeria’s best Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Company according to a survey by Governance Advancement Initiative for Nigeria (GAIN), an NGO.
Dangote was the adjudged overall winner among 25 Nigerian and multinational companies operating in the country in 2016, scoring 6.3 per cent, followed by Nestle with 5.51 per cent and Etisalat with 5.45 per cent.