NGO Trains 300 Returning Migrants On Business Development

Web of Heart Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation, says it has trained and empowered more than 300 returning migrants, youths, and internally displaced persons on job creation.

Its Executive Director, Mrs. Bose Aggrey, made the declaration on Tuesday in Lagos at the graduation of its “Create and Start Module’’ trainees.

The graduating trainees were awarded certificates and given grants facilitated by some investors and soft loans from banks after six months of training to identify and analyse business ideas and opportunities.

“We taught them how to articulate their business ideas into plans; introduced them to investors and equally assisted them to get bank loans.

“It is an opportunity for the participants to put themselves together either to get employed or to become employers,’’ she said.

“We introduced investors to the participants when they were pitching and some of them are already getting grants.

“We are working with two banks so they can provide soft loans at low-interest rates for the participants,’’ she added.

In his remarks, Mr. Peik Bruhns, Team Lead of GOPA Worldwide Consultants said that conducted the training, said the company had reached out to train 5,000 Nigerians on Micro, Small, and Medium-scale Enterprises in six months

He said this was done in collaboration with nine organisations, including Web of Heart Foundation.

“I will like to stress the importance of working with returnee migrants because Web of Heart Foundation focuses on assisting them to reintegrate into society.

“Probably 80 percent of the participants are women and many of them are returning migrants and they deserve to find their feet in the Nigerian society.

“This is just the first stage; we will continue to reach many people through organisations based in Edo and Lagos states,’’ he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training was co-organised by GIZ (German Cooperation Deutsche Zusammenarbeit), an international donor agency, and the Pro-Poor Growth and Promotion of Employment in Nigeria, another NGO.