Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa, with expanding economic sectors in manufacturing, finance, service and technology. The country has gradually shifted to a more sustainable economic approach, reducing dependency on oil and petroleum. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have contributed 48?percent of national gross domestic product in the past five years. They account for 50?percent of industrial jobs and nearly 90?percent of the manufacturing sector, with approximately 17.4?million entrepreneurs across the country. The shift towards sustainable economic growth has now become one of the Government’s policy priorities. With significantly more economic potential to be explored and optimized, strengthening entrepreneurship in the country could serve as the new driving force for economic growth, helping to create more job opportunities, alleviate economic disparity and promote a more inclusive economic environment.
In cooperation with the Indonesian Embassy in Abuja, the Directorate of Technical Cooperation and the Directorate General of Multilateral Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia conducted a capacity-building programme entitled ‘International Workshop on Entrepreneurship Capacity-building for Nigeria: Promoting Economic Growth to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)’ in Abuja, Nigeria from 30?October to 1?November?2019. The programme was undertaken to fulfil a commitment made by Indonesia in its role as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council from 2019 to 2020. It was also a means of strengthening the country’s South-South cooperation framework.
Twenty entrepreneurs and business practitioners from various sectors in Nigeria participated in the training, which was conducted by external consultants from Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) Indonesia who had prior experience in the numerous training programmes offered by the Directorate of Technical Cooperation. Through this programme, participants were expected to gain knowledge and insights on entrepreneurship that could support economic growth in Nigeria and create new economic opportunities with Indonesia. Furthermore, this programme was designed to align efforts to maintain peace with the sustainable development agenda through community building at the grassroots level.
The training sought to provide a better understanding of the importance of creativity and innovation in maintaining sustainable economic cooperation within global and domestic markets. It also aimed to build?capacity in designing product prototypes with high economic value, identifying economic opportunities and potential markets, developing entrepreneurship capacity to optimize natural and technological resources for innovative solutions to market demands, and formulating new methodologies to validate the products or services offered by target markets and audiences.
The programme was delivered in an intensive three-day session that relied on classroom activities, interactive discussions, simulations, field practice and the use of audiovisual media to enhance the learning experience.
The first session focused on building the entrepreneurial mindset. This important modality allowed participants to assess the business process used by entrepreneurs in order to determine the correct business model for growth potential. In this session, in-depth research was emphasized as the key to a successful business strategy. Participants were also introduced to the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Indonesia to gain insights on how businesses are conducted and to learn from the country’s experience in integrating this ecosystem to foster national economic growth.
The second session focused on using the business model canvas as a tool to develop and navigate business strategy. It can be implemented to understand new business concepts, analyse business risk and create strategies to overcome challenges facing the business ecosystem. Participants were also encouraged to embrace technological advances in their business model canvas to improve their process and foster stronger growth. As an example, they learned about how the business climate in Indonesia is dominated by digital start-ups as a result of technological advances, which provides new business actors with several innovative strategies to disrupt the conventional business process and amplify their business growth.
To complement their training, participants also attended workshops on marketing and branding and received tips and insights on creating innovative products. These skill sets were deemed important to produce notable and valuable products that could compete in the fast-growing market while maintaining product sustainability.
At the end of the training, representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria conveyed their satisfaction with the training programme and found that SMEs are important to growth and sustainable development. Moreover, they expressed interest in providing and further strengthening an environment conducive to empowering women and youth in the creative industry to promote economic growth. They would also focus on integrating technology to address stagnant development within the business community in Nigeria.
To maintain the continuity and spirit of the training, a network of entrepreneurs and SME owners from Indonesia and Nigeria was established. This initiative was undertaken to ensure further cooperation among entrepreneurs of both countries. It also serves as a platform to consult and explore mutually beneficial partnerships between these countries in the future.
This initiative contributed to achieving SDG?8 on decent work and economic growth, SDG?10 on reducing inequalities and SDG?5 on gender equality.
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