Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — In a move to empower women and strengthen local capacity in the Niger Delta, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, has trained 50 women in catering and event planning under its “Back to the Creek” initiative.
The three-month programme, which ended with a graduation ceremony at the Multipurpose Vocational Centre, Egbokodo, Warri, is aimed at equipping beneficiaries with practical and entrepreneurial skills for self-reliance.
Representing the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the General Manager, Mr. Kunu Harmony, praised the graduates for their discipline and resilience throughout the training.
“The skills you have acquired go beyond cooking and decoration. This training is about creativity, organizational ability, and entrepreneurial drive, which are essential for long-term success.”
Ogbe highlighted the Board’s mandate of promoting Nigerian content and creating opportunities for citizens to thrive in the oil and gas industry and its linkage sectors.
“Through our human capacity development initiatives, we ensure that Nigerians are equipped not only with technical expertise but also with entrepreneurial skills that foster self-reliance and global competitiveness,” he stated.
Encouraging the beneficiaries to become business leaders, he urged them to form cooperative societies, register their businesses formally, and leverage the starter packs provided for growth rather than quick financial gains.
“See yourselves as entrepreneurs, innovators, and future employers of labour. What you have received here is the seed of a business empire, nurture it,” he advised.
The graduation ceremony featured a drama presentation by the trainees, showcasing the importance of productively using the starter packs provided by NCDMB.
Certificates were presented to the beneficiaries at the close-out ceremony, which was attended by Mrs. Funmi Ojo, Supervisor, Zonal Coordination; Mr. Egoli Ebikombo-Owei, Officer, Corporate Communications; Miss Jacinth Agbedi, and other Board officials.
The women, visibly excited, pledged to put their new skills to use and contribute meaningfully to their communities’ economic growth.
