FIIRO, TRAINING WORKSHOP SCHEDULE 2016

Last year, I published the training workshop schedule for FIIRO because I realized a lot of people were unaware of these trainings. Subsequently I have received emails and requests for an update for 2016. So by popular demand guys, here's the F.I.I.R.O training calendar for 2016.

In case you don't know who F.I.I.R.O is and what they are about, please refer to my last post on my experience in their techno-entrepreneurship training program here.

TRAINING WORKSHOP SCHEDULE 2016 

1. Cassava Flour Production     Mar 16-18,  Apr 13-15,  June 8-10  N50,000.00

2. Instant Pounded Yam Flour Production Mar 14-18, Apr 11-15, May 16-20, June 13-17 N50,000.00

3.  Bread and Confectionary Baking(including Soy Snacks) Mar 7-11, Apr 11-15, May 2-6, June 13-17 N50,000.00

4.  Fufu Flour Production from Cassava Mar 3-8, Apr 21-26, June 9-14 N40,000.00

5.  Edible Mushroom Production Mar 14-18, May2-6, June 13-17 N35,000.00

6. Fruit Juice Production from Nigeria Fruits Mar 7-11, Apr 25-29, June 20-24 N40,000.00

7. Zobo Drink Production and Preservation Mar 30-1st April, May 25-27, Jun 29-July1 N25,000.00

8. Palm Wine Bottling and Preservation Mar 21-23, May 11-13, June 8-10. N40,000.00

9. Smoked Fish Production Mar 16-18, Apr 27-29, May 11-13, June 22-24. N50,000.00

10. Cassava Starch Production Mar 14-18, Apr 18-22 N35,000.00

11. Kunu Drink Production and Preservation Apr 18-22, June 6-10 N40,000.00

12. Plantain Flour Production Apr 4 – 8, May 2-6, June 13-17 N40,000.00

13. Electroplating and Plug Refurbishing Mar 14-18, Apr 11-15 N20,000.0

14 Cassava Chips Production Mar 9-11, Apr 13-15. N35,000.00

15. Laundry Soap Production Apr 4 – 8, May 2-6, June 20-24. N40,000.00

16 Toilet Cleanser Production Mar 14-18, June 20-24 N15,000.00

17 Computer Appreciation Training Apr 18-29, June 6-10. N30,000.00

18 Black Soap April 18-22, May 16-20 N50,000.00

19 Garri Production Mar 3-8, Apr 21-26, June 9-14 N50,000.00


FOR WHOM

• All those contemplating the establishment of cottage, small and medium scale Industries.
• Agro-Industrial/Business Consultants.
• Designers and Fabricators of Processing Equipment and Machinery.
• Those in Baking, Hotels and Catering Businesses.
• Operators of Cottage and Medium scale Agricultural Farms.
• Those already in production with quality control problems.

METHOD OF APPLICATION

Applications are to be forwarded in person with cash or mail (courier) accompanied with bank draft addressed to:-

The Director-General
Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Off Agege Motor road, Via Cappa Bus Stop,
P.M.B 21023, Ikeja-Lagos State
Tel: 01-4531364, 08023414996, 08023164201, 08033863474
E-mail: info@fiiro.gov.ng
www.fiiro.gov.ng

For Enquiry on FIIRO Technology contact: enquiry@fiiro.gov.ng
Enquiry Time: Monday to Friday between 9:00am to 4:00pm daily.


PLEASE NOTE:

• Participants will be responsible for lodging while course fee covers tea breaks/snacks and workshop materials.
• Participants are expected to make full payment preferably a week before the commencement of each workshop.
• FIIRO may cancel any of the above workshops in the event of poor response from participants.

Click to fill "Online Registration Form"

FIIRO, TRAINING WORKSHOP SCHEDULE 2015

Last year, I took a techno entrepreneurship course at the Federal Institute of Industrial Research and it opened my eyes to a lot of things.

You would be surprised how many raw materials have been researched and are waiting to be commercialized.

My mushroom practical

The Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) is a parastatal under the agency of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology. FIIRO was the idea of an economic mission sent to Nigeria in 1953 by the World Bank. The mission's observation was that industrial research activities in Nigeria were diffused and uncoordinated with no definite direction. Consequently, a decision was reached to set the Institute in 1956.

Their mission is to conduct and promote market-driven research and development (R&D) for the industrialization and socio-economic development of the country.

The areas they focus on are;

• Research and Development of Food and Agro – Allied Processing Technologies.
• Research and Development into Pulp and Paper Processing.
• Research and Development into Packaging and Product Design
• Design and Fabrication of Equipment Prototype

My mushroom project

Ondo girls too like book, lol

Did you know that Ola Ola and Ayoola are products of FIIRO research? I was exposed to officials from NAFDAC, BOI, NASME, NEPC, TIC, SMEDAN amongst others. For a long time I had wondered about bottling palm wine for african themed hampers, alas they already researched this in FIIRO and some entrepreneurs through FIIRO are already exporting bottled palm wine.

Plus, did you know we have technology incubation centers at different locations across the federation?

There's really a lot of information out there that would save you a lot of trouble in starting a business. One thing I have learnt over the years is that information is power!

Actually FIIRO could use a lot of publicity, they've got a lot of good stuff. It was after my course there that I realized the disconnect between many of our formal institutions and these research institutions. They all need to work side by side. Don't you think?

So I saw their training schedule for this last quarter of 2015 and I thought to share. Someone might need this. Please share!

Cheers.

TRAINING WORKSHOP SCHEDULE 2015

1. Cassava Flour Production  - Sept 02-04, Oct 07-09, Nov 25-27, Dec 09-11 N30,000.00

2. Instant Pounded Yam Flour Production - Sept 14-18, Oct 05-09, Nov 16-20, Dec 14-18 N20,000.00

3. Bread and Confectionary Baking(including Soy Snacks) -  Sept 07-11, Oct 19-23, Nov 16-20, Dec 14-18 N20,000.00

4. Fufu Flour Production from Cassava - Sept 17-22, Oct 08-12, Nov 26- Dec 02 N20,000.00

5. Edible Mushroom Production - Sept 14-18, Oct 05-09, Nov 16-20 N20,000.00

6. Fruit Juice Production from Nigeria Fruits - Sept 07-11, Oct 05-09, Dec 14-18 N20,000.00

7. Zobo Drink Production and Preservation - Sept 19-22, Oct 14-16, Dec 09-11 N15,000.00

8. Palm Wine Bottling and Preservation - Oct 21-23, Nov 25-27 N15,000.00

9. Smoked Fish Production - Sept 09-11, Oct 21-23, Nov 25-27, Dec 16-18 N20,000.00

10. Cassava Starch Production - Sept 14-18, Oct 19-23, Dec 14-18 N15,000.00

11. Kunu Drink Production and Preservation - Sept 21-25, Nov 16-24 N20,000.00

12. Plantain Flour Production - Sept 28- Oct 02, Oct 12-16, Nov 16-20 N20,000.00

13. Electroplating and Plug Refurbishing - Oct 12-16, Nov 16-20 N20,000.00

14. Cassava Chips Production - Oct 28-30, Dec 16-18 N15,000.00

15. Laundry Soap Production - Sept 21-25, Oct 19-23, Nov 23-27, Dec 14-18 N15,000.00

16. Toilet Cleanser Production - Oct 19-23, Nov 23-27, Dec 14-18 N15,000.00

17. Computer Appreciation Training - Oct 12-24, Nov 16-30 N15,000.00


FOR WHOM

All those contemplating the establishment of cottage, small and medium scale Industries.

Agro-Industrial/Business Consultants.

Designers and Fabricators of Processing Equipment and Machinery.

Those in Baking, Hotels and Catering Businesses.

Operators of Cottage and Medium scale Agricultural Farms.

Those already in production with quality control problems.


METHOD OF APPLICATION

Applications are to be forwarded in person with cash or mail (courier) accompanied with bank draft addressed to:-

The Director-General
Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi, Off Agege Motor road, Via Cappa Bus Stop,
P.M.B 21023, Ikeja-Lagos State
Tel: 01-4531364, 08023414996, 08023164201
E-mail: info@fiiro.gov.ng
www.fiiro.gov.ng

For Enquiry on FIIRO Technology contact: enquiry@fiiro.gov.ng
Enquiry Time: Monday to Friday between 9:00am to 4:00pm daily.

Reelfruit - Affiong Williams #inthespiritofenterprise

Hi guys! Don't even bother asking where I have been. What can I say, life happens. In other news, I debuted my radio show on enterprise radio today!!! Whoop whoop! It's called "Strike the anvil" and it airs on Tuesdays from 9am to 10am west African time. You can call in to contribute or protest, hehe. The whole idea is to hit the nail on the head about entrepreneurship in Nigeria and Africa. You can stream directly from the site or download the app at www.enterpriseng.com. I look forward to having great conversations with you! You can listen to the premiere on soundcloud here - http://goo.gl/uqHnUx

In case you've forgotten and this is my fault, I know, It's Tuesday, #inthespiritofenterprise!! In the spirit of enterprise we have a wonderful ground breaking entrepreneur story to share today. I am super excited to introduce to you, Affiong Williams. All you weight watchers, here's a cool way to get your fruit on!

Tell us about yourself 

My name is Affiong Williams, 28 Year Old entrepreneur, building a fruit processing company in Nigeria, and eventually other countries in Africa. I studied a general Bsc degree in Physiology and Psychology, and followed up with a diploma in business management. However, my most valuable education came through work experience. I am quite simple. I take pride in it. I am quite motivated (I have run 2 marathons (42 KM) and 1 ultra-marathon (50KM) before I turned 26). I am very ambitious. I am clumsy, passionate, curious (I love travel), introverted and a bit of a nerd. I hope to hold political office in the future (Power to the women!! Yaay), and I also hope to live in different countries in Africa.


Tell us about your business?

ReelFruit offers healthy snacks (dried fruits and nuts) to the growing class of people who are looking for healthier eating and lifestyle. My decision to launch ReelFruit was borne out of my general decision to venture into the Agribusiness sector. I believe that Agriculture has huge untapped potential both in wealth and job creation, however, like any other business, it requires large investment, patience and expertise. I was excited about value addition to fruit products, so I decided to start with dried fruits as a way to preserve the shelf life of fruits and reduce waste.

What inspired you to go into agro food processing?
I am motivated by a number of things, but what drives me most is the possibility that I can change a community, and the agribusiness sector. The values that drive our business are rooted in our long term vision, that through agribusiness , we can change lives. Nigerian products can be made to world class standards, and can be sold anywhere in the world. This is reflected in our short term plans, of launching products that reflect the quality of a world class product, as well as our medium term plans of launching a world class factory. Anything we do will be novel, we will drive innovation and bring change to the agribusiness industry. We don’t want to work within the inefficiencies that plague the sector. We want to be a driving force of change

What are the products you currently have in the market?

Our range currently includes dried mango, pineapple, coconut, banana, a fruit and nut mix and cashews. We are currently present mainly in Lagos, but we are excited to be growing into other regions of the country and beyond Nigeria. We have sold our products in Ghana, South Africa and even the United States

How has the market acceptance of these products been?

Market Acceptance has been a constant challenge. Although we know customers like our products, marketing and awareness is one of our biggest hurdles. It is very expensive to create large marketing campaigns, and we don’t have to budget for that. We try to be creative and use as many free forums as possible to get the work out there about our products.


How did you raise funds for your business?

My savings in the beginning, friends, family and fools as well. :-) ReelFruit has won 2 business plan competitions, which came with some funds. Now we are at a stage where we are getting investors who are excited about the vision of the company and its potential.

What are the main challenges you have faced along the way and how have you managed them?
There are so many challenges, and you cannot plan for all of them. I could go on all day about challenges. The biggest challenge is that most things take longer than expected, so one must always leave a little room to accommodate delays in business. I have also had a lot of “unexpected expenses” which always increase our operational expenses. I have had a mild case of dubious suppliers and even dubious products sold on the market which spoil after 1 month of use.

For all challenges, I try as much as possible to seek counsel from people who have been in similar situations before. I would suggest that entrepreneurs invest time in expanding their network. The value of a solid network is huge. I have been so positively surprised by how helpful people (who didn’t know me prior) have been. I would recommend that people take time out for personal development by seeking out people in their industries that they can learn from. Many challenges offer great opportunities for one to learn about their businesses more intimately, so challenges are not always a bad thing…In retrospect, of course.

How would you summarize the experience so far?

Challenging, enlightening, interesting. I have had so many opportunities open up since starting my business. I have vastly increased my network to include other passionate Nigerians who are doing wonderful things that will be big in a few years’ time. Through my experience, I have ascertained what my purpose is on this earth- an achievement that has truly liberated me. All in all, It has been rewarding, and most importantly, the future looks very bright.

Given the chance, will you do this again? 

YES! I would start earlier.

What advice will you give to someone setting up a new business in Nigeria.

In business, I advise everyone to take it a step at a time. Before I got an office, and hired staff, I started the business in my room, working alone, going from pillar to post, and testing the products with customers. Pay close attention to market feedback, and be willing and flexible to your products and services to fit the market needs. You have to be patient, committed, persistent, and hold on to your big ambitions.

Visit - https://www.facebook.com/reelfruitng

follow - @reelfruit

website - http://www.reelfruit.com/

Call -  +234 8165376179 or +234 8184680334