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The Southern Kaduna Aid Foundation (SKAID Foundation), in partnership with the Embassy of Poland in Nigeria, has trained 100 entrepreneurs in Southern Kaduna as part of efforts to strengthen small businesses, improve vocational skills and promote economic self-reliance among residents of the region.
The initiative featured a one-day entrepreneurial skills workshop for 50 participants at the latest training venue, following a similar programme for another 50 people in Kafanchan earlier in the week. The training focused on equipping participants with practical knowledge to manage their businesses, improve their online visibility, identify target customers and develop strategies for sustainable growth. Blueprint reports
Chairman of the SKAID Foundation Board of Trustees, Rear Admiral Ferguson Bobai (rtd.), said the programme was conceived to address the difficulties faced by people who engage in small-scale businesses without having access to formal business management training.
Bobai, who spoke during the workshop, said the foundation was committed to supporting disadvantaged people in Southern Kaduna through entrepreneurship, education and skills acquisition, adding that the partnership with the Polish Embassy had enabled it to extend its support to more beneficiaries.
Polish Embassy funds entrepreneurship training
Bobai disclosed that the Embassy of Poland in Abuja was providing 100 per cent funding for the workshop, describing the partnership as an important contribution to the foundation’s efforts to improve livelihoods in Southern Kaduna.
He explained that many people operated small businesses without the technical knowledge required to manage their finances, reach potential customers and position their products or services effectively in an increasingly competitive market.
According to him, the training was designed to bridge that gap by exposing participants to practical business development strategies that could help them improve their operations and increase their chances of success.
The chairman said the foundation had been reaching out to people in need of support, particularly those who lacked the resources and opportunities to improve their economic circumstances.
He expressed appreciation for the Polish Embassy’s willingness to collaborate with the organisation, noting that such partnerships were essential to expanding the reach of community-based development programmes.
The workshop also addressed the growing importance of digital platforms in business promotion, with participants learning how to manage social media accounts, improve their online presence and communicate more effectively with prospective customers.
Foundation expands vocational skills acquisition
Beyond entrepreneurship training, the foundation is supporting young people through vocational education aimed at equipping them with practical skills to earn a living.
Bobai said about 20 young men and women were undergoing training at Skills Acquisition Centres, to get practical knowledge on solar installation, electrical installation, beauty and makeup.
He said the trainees were drawn from Southern Kaduna without discrimination based on religion or community, stressing that the foundation’s interventions were intended to benefit qualified people who needed opportunities to improve their livelihoods.
According to him, the trainees would receive starter packs related to the skills they acquired upon completing their training, providing them with basic resources to establish themselves and begin offering services.
The initiative is expected to help beneficiaries move beyond acquiring theoretical knowledge to applying their skills in practical settings and developing income-generating activities.
Bobai added that the foundation had previously trained other beneficiaries at the centre, making skills acquisition an important part of its broader strategy for economic empowerment.
He said the organisation believed that providing practical skills, alongside the necessary start-up support, could help young people become more self-reliant and reduce their dependence on limited employment opportunities.
Scholarships, healthcare and support for small businesses
The chairman said the foundation’s work extended beyond entrepreneurship and vocational training to include educational support for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
He disclosed that the organisation was paying school fees, accommodation and pocket money for some students in tertiary institutions, including Kaduna State University and Ahmadu Bello University, with the intention of sustaining the support until they graduated.
Bobai said the intervention was particularly important because many young people in Southern Kaduna secured admission into higher institutions but struggled to continue their education because their parents could not afford the associated expenses.
He noted that some students performed well academically but were at risk of abandoning their studies because of financial difficulties.
The foundation’s Executive Director, Bilu Hosea Bisala, said the organisation was established in July 2024 to work with communities in Southern Kaduna towards achieving sustainable development.
He explained that its areas of intervention included education, healthcare, economic empowerment, democracy and good governance, as well as entrepreneurship.
Bisala said the foundation had reached approximately 6,000 people through health and medical outreaches across Southern Kaduna during the previous year.
He also disclosed that the organisation had provided scholarships to about 40 students, trained artisans in different skills and supported women operating micro and small businesses.
According to him, approximately 1,000 women involved in small-scale businesses received grants during the previous year, while the foundation continued to seek opportunities to support more people through partnerships and community contributions.
He stressed that the foundation measured its success not simply by the number of people reached but by the impact of its interventions on individuals and communities over time.
Funding remains major challenge
Despite the progress recorded, Bobai identified funding as the major challenge confronting the foundation, saying limited resources had affected the number of people it could accommodate in its programmes.
He explained that the one-day entrepreneurship workshop could have been extended to two or three days to allow for more intensive training and accommodate additional beneficiaries if more funding had been available.
According to him, the foundation would continue to expand its activities within the limits of its resources while seeking additional support from government, individuals and development partners.
He called on the Kaduna State Government to consider supporting organisations working to improve the welfare of vulnerable communities, particularly those providing educational opportunities and economic empowerment for young people.
Bobai said the foundation’s programmes were intended to complement government efforts rather than replace public institutions, adding that stronger collaboration could enable more people to benefit from development initiatives.
Bisala similarly said the foundation was established through the contributions of sons and daughters of Southern Kaduna who wanted to give back to their communities.
He explained that while local contributions remained important, the organisation also approached international partners and other institutions for support in areas where its internally generated resources were insufficient.
The executive director said the foundation would continue to work with government and other stakeholders, noting that some of its previous medical outreaches had been conducted in government-owned health facilities.
He added that the organisation remained open to partnerships with individuals and institutions interested in supporting sustainable development in Southern Kaduna.
Mentoring to support business sustainability
A member of the foundation’s Board of Trustees, Sarah Amos Gandu, said participants were selected through an online registration link, with places allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
She said the foundation planned to organise more programmes and recognised that training alone might not be sufficient to ensure the long-term survival of beneficiaries’ businesses.
Gandu explained that participants would have access to mentoring to help them address challenges that could arise as they applied the lessons acquired during the workshop.
She also highlighted the importance of digital awareness, noting that some entrepreneurs had not fully explored online platforms to promote their products and services.
She expressed the expectation that the training would encourage participants to improve their digital presence, making it easier for potential customers to find and engage with their businesses.
The mentoring component, she said, was intended to provide continued guidance as participants worked to implement the strategies discussed during the sessions.
Participants identify practical business lessons
Some participants said the training had improved their understanding of business management and exposed them to opportunities to reach customers beyond their immediate locations.
Anthony Emanuela, a pastry entrepreneur who operates the Bite Nita Bite brand in Kaduna, said she attended the workshop to broaden her knowledge of managing her business.
She said the sessions covered social media management, financial management and the importance of identifying target customers, adding that the lessons had given her a clearer understanding of how to promote her products.
Emanuela said she intended to improve her social media pages by displaying prices, uploading quality photographs, explaining what customers could expect from her products and using clear calls to action.
She also said she would focus more deliberately on reaching her target audience rather than relying on general online exposure.
The entrepreneur expressed optimism that applying the lessons would improve her business visibility and help her attract more customers.
Similarly, Genesis Karami Moses of Karina Travels and Tours said the workshop had challenged her previous assumptions about the availability of customers for her business in Kaduna.
Moses explained that she had encountered difficulties attracting customers locally because of the perception that demand for travel and tour services in the city was limited.
However, the sessions on digital marketing helped her understand that a business could operate from Kaduna while reaching prospective customers in other locations through effective online visibility and targeted communication.
She said the training had emphasised the need for business owners to identify their specific markets instead of attempting to sell to everyone.
Moses said she intended to apply the knowledge acquired to make her business easier to discover online and improve her ability to reach potential clients outside her immediate environment.
The SKAID Foundation said it would continue to seek partnerships and support for programmes in education, healthcare, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment, with the broader objective of helping communities in Southern Kaduna address development challenges and build more sustainable livelihoods.
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