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"

Gbedion - Afe Riches Inegbedion #inthespiritofenterprise

Hey fam...

Been a minute. I have been all over the place. If you follow me on instagram @mofolusade  you would already have an idea. Besides.... Omo meeen, you need some extra gangster strength and determination to keep going in this Nigeria, can I get a witness out there! But we must not give up because tough times never last but tough people do as Robert Schuller said.

Most of the conversations I have been in lately have been around collaboration. The era of one man squads is no more the way, people must come together and build businesses that will last. This is why I was excited when I heard about this idea. Technology has opened up a lot of new opportunities and platforms for us and we need to take advantage. If you have an idea, don't keep it to yourself, look for a co-founder who has what you don't have. There are many ways to find that person and here's one real life example below;

That's one way and Afe has another way and he shares his journey with us in today's #inthespiritofenterprise post.

Enjoy.

Tell us about yourself

My name is Afe Riches Inegbedion. I am from Edo State but I am based in Lagos. I studied Industrial Mathematics at the University of Benin, Benin City. I also have a Masters degree in Information Systems Management from the University of Greenwich, London. My philosophy is that there is always a better way to do something. You just have to think hard and observe out.

Tell us about your business

The business Gbedion came to be in February 2016 but the concept was conceived in 2012. Gbedion was founded because Nigerians are hard working and have a lot of good ideas but most of them do not have a means to fund their ideas.

Currently getting a loan from the bank is not easy. They ask for so much detail, collateral and give high interest interest rates. This makes a lot of people give up their ideas. There is also the issue of validating your ideas. Will people like it? Will they pay for it? Gbedion gives you the opportunity to see if people believe in your project enough to donate their hard earned money towards it. That is enough validation in my book. I experienced funding issues too and thought about it. Why not solve the problem instead of complaining about it and hence Gbedion came to be. 

Gbedion is a social crowdfunding platform for Africans. In simple words you can post your inspiring business plans on Gbedion and state how much you need, share to family and friends and receive donations from all of them and more. No interest , no loans. All you need to give them is a reward that is related to your proposed business.

For example you want to start a unique car wash business, you have drawn your business plan, you know how much you need and how to execute it. All you need is funding. This is where Gbedion comes in, fill the form, get an invite from Gbedion, post your business plan, offer rewards to donors (for example donate N1000 and get one free car wash), reach your stated funding amount and Gbedion will give you the donated about. All transactions will be displayed on the website for transparency.

What was your inspiration for starting this business?

I started this business because of the personal frustration I faced in bringing my business idea to life. I also have a lot of friends and relatives that have wonderful ideas that they would like to bring to life but funding is an issue. This is why I founded Gbedion, to change the situation and encourage entrepreneurs to start businesses.

How did you get funding for your business?

I got funding for my project through personal savings. Funding is still needed however, to make it grow.

What opportunities have you been able to leverage on in your business so far?

I am currently discussing with Hubbub Foundation (a crowdfunding foundation in London, Boston and Sydney). They are interested in the project. I am looking forward to getting assistance from them.

What Challenges have you faced so far and how have you been able to overcome them?

Setting up and growing our customer base has been challenging but we are moving forward.
I've faced several challenges while trying to start Gbedion. 

1) The idea: 

Many people said it won't work. There are too many scams in Nigeria and so on. I came to realize that scams exist every where not just in Nigeria. People try to scam themselves in a lot of businesses. Why should I stop for the fear of scams when it exists in every other business. Tackling it is the way forward.

2) Branching out: 

The other issue was people will steal your idea; do not tell anyone. You cannot execute a large business plan on your own, you need people but you have to share your idea so people can assist you make it happen. 

I believe an idea has no value on its own. It needs a good execution and for a business to be successful it needs a combination of a good idea and a good execution. If someone tries to steal your idea. He /she only has the idea, how it is executed will certainly be different from yours. I hope the lovely people with wonderful ideas in Africa realize this and stop being afraid to post their business plans on Gbedion for fear of their ideas being stolen.

3) Funding: 

Funny enough this was also an issue for me. Gbedion was supposed to be an app but the cost of building an app is incredibly high. Hence Gbedion was launched as a web platform instead. Which I feel is an advantage because it is easily accessible to anyone that has an internet connection and a browsing device.

How will you summarize the journey so far?

Wow the journey so far has been enjoyable, frustrating and stressful. From brain storming the idea, carrying out research, reaching out to people, raising funds, getting turned down by a lot of people that think you just want to collect money from them. Its been an eventful journey.

Given the Chance, will you do this again?
Definitely, I will do it again. There is joy in bringing your idea to life and watching it grow.

What lessons have you been able to learn from your journey so far that others should know.

• Believe and be passionate about your idea. People will turn you down but when they begin to see how serious you are, the progress you have made and your consistency. They will begin to believe in your idea too and join you to make it happen. 
• Validate your business idea at a low level first. It has to work on a small scale for it to also work on a large scale. Do this and you will not waste your resources.

The business itself has evolved over time. It started out in 2012 as Riap.biz. I do not run riap.biz anymore. It was a website where people could show case their work to the world for recognition. The crowdfunding idea had not come to be then.

How can people connect with you

Visit Gbedion website: http://www.tippinternational.com/ . 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gbedion/ 

Phone No: 08171067640
Office Address: 61 Akeju Street, Off Shipeolu, Palmgrove. Lagos.

HIGHLIGHTS: Amazing Amazon Initiative for women launches in Lagos

Women in their throngs came out on the 6th of March 2016 to receive the best Mother’s day gift any woman could get! It was the launch of the first real action oriented Support Group for women in Nigeria; the AMAZING AMAZON INITIATIVE which held at Berkeley Hotel, GRA, Ikeja.

Adenike Ogunlesi, the owner of Ruff n Tumble who also happens to be the Chairperson of the Board of Trustee, chaired the occasion. Also in attendance was Laila St Matthew Daniels, a No Domestic Violence and Abuse advocate and Emeka Oparah, the Vice President Corporate Communications Airtel Nigeria who are also members of the Board. The special guests who graced the occasion includes some of Nollywood’s finest, Caroline Danjuma, and Adunni Ade who spoke to the women about their personal experiences and life’s lessons that left an indelible impression on them. Mrs. Toyin Collins, Pastor Edebi Otefe amongst others shared valued thoughts too.

The Visioneer and Founder of the initiative Mercy Makinde spoke extensively on her life’s journey from when she was given out in early marriage from the tender age of 18 years to a man older than her father till when she decided to take her destiny in her hands by walking away from the abusive marriage that lasted 11years of her early life.

She purported that it took her that long to leave and run for her dear life because of the lack of a support system in our society for women in troubled marriages. Rather than support, the society generally turns around to stigmatize and labels the victim even when there is clear evidence that the woman’s life is at stake!

She emphasized the need for women to come together to form a strong bond and create a platform for them to get support, coaching, mentoring, business and networking opportunities. Hence, the birth of AMAZING AMAZON initiative, which is a real ACTION oriented Women Support Group.

Mercy added that even though in our culture women rarely get to “hang out” or “seal deals over drinks” like the men folk, they however still need gatherings where they come together to celebrate, nurture, get mentored, get trainings, encouragement, console one another, network, learn and grow their business. She emphasized that women need, intimacy support and consolation, particularly during difficult times especially now that face-to-face interactions within our communities are becoming rare. 

“We sometimes get support from family and friends, but sometimes they cannot easily understand what it’s like to be in our situation because they haven’t really walked in our shoes. But being in a group with people who have been in your same situation can help fill the void as they may be able to provide the needed succor and share proven and practical steps they once used in dealing with the situation. Whether a woman is dealing with illness, emotional problems, marital issues, parenting issues, life transitions, or a temporary situational crisis, we would come together with people in the same situation to offer each other support and encouragement’’...she said.

Amazing Amazon Initiative will provide a places where women can share personal stories, express emotions and be heard in an atmosphere of acceptance, understanding, and encouragement. Participants will get helpful information from Resources persons and Facilitators who are experts in their different fields of endeavor. By helping others, people in this support group will strengthen and empower themselves as these support from group members will enables personal growth and change in a way that individual therapy cannot achieve.

Beyond the usual sermons of a seminar and coaching sessions, the initiative will take practical steps to alleviate whatever travails a woman is going through. The group will be the “WHO” and “WHERE” that every woman should run to in her times of need and this network is open to women of all walks of life everywhere in Nigeria. After the Lagos launch, the next stop now is Abuja to be followed by Port Harcourt as women from these locations are already registering to become a part of the initiative.

In demonstration of their claim to support and not just talk, a lady in the attendance yesterday who owned up to currently being a victim of domestic violence was immediately given free legal services from a lawyer in the network from the Federal Ministry of Justice. Her case was immediately taken up and she will get whatever help and support she requires of the group. Others had employment issues, which the group had taken up to assist.

UBA Foundation also in solidarity and support of the initiative donated a hundred branded school bags to the group. These would be given out to the less privileged kids through their mothers.

The Chairman, Board of Trustees Mrs Adenike Ogunlesi spoke at length on how the women can still live a fulfilled and happy life even though it is difficult if not almost impossible to achieve a perfect balance in life. She did using a graphic illustration of life’s circle and the women excitedly joined in on the “wheel of life” exercise. She ended her session by emphasizing how important it is for women to join the network and she encouraged them all to sign up and join the forum as a lot awaits them.


Other speakers also shared some very valuable life lessons with the women who were yearning to hear more at the end of the programme. The event, which was proudly supported by Airtel Nigeria and Guardian Nigeria, left the women with a renewed vigor and hope.

To learn more and become a part of this great initiative, all you simply do is click on this link www.theamazingamazon.org