The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) have trained 30 entrepreneurs in business storytelling, positioning and value communication to help them attract customers, secure funding and expand their ventures.
The eight-week programme was designed to address challenges faced by business owners who possess viable products and services but struggle to communicate their value effectively to customers, clients and potential investors.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony in Abuja, Executive Director of M-Search Creative Hub and M-Search Media, Zainab Salami, said the programme was conceived after the organisers identified poor storytelling and weak business positioning as persistent barriers to entrepreneurial growth.
Salami said many entrepreneurs had compelling business ideas and products but lacked the capacity to articulate their journeys, demonstrate their impact and position their ventures for market opportunities and funding.
She said the organisers received 100 applications but selected only 30 participants to maintain the specialised nature of the programme and provide beneficiaries with adequate attention and practical guidance.
The training featured mentors from Nigeria, the United Kingdom and South Africa, who equipped participants with practical frameworks for communicating their businesses and telling their stories effectively.
Salami added that finance experts, including PhD holders in the field, also trained the entrepreneurs on how to balance profitability with value creation and broader economic impact.
According to her, the programme recognised that business success increasingly depends not only on the quality of products and services but also on an entrepreneur’s ability to make a venture visible, credible and attractive to customers, partners and investors.
Representing the ITF-NECA Technical Skills Development Programme (TSDP), Training Manager, ITF Modern Skills Training Centre, Abuja, Hayatu Abubakar Tamgol, said the initiative aligned with the ITF’s mandate to develop a skilled indigenous workforce capable of meeting the needs of Nigeria’s economy.
Tamgol said the ITF was committed to developing the competencies and capabilities of Nigerians to create an adequate pool of skilled manpower for the country’s industrial and commercial sectors.
He expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the eight-week programme, saying the success stories shared by the beneficiaries demonstrated that meaningful learning had taken place.
According to him, skills development remains critical to tackling youth unemployment, promoting self-employment and strengthening Nigeria’s economy.
Tamgol also highlighted the ITF’s flagship Skills of Artisans programme, which provides Nigerians across the country with opportunities to acquire practical skills and become self-reliant.
He said such interventions were aimed at empowering beneficiaries to earn sustainable livelihoods while contributing to national economic development.
One of the beneficiaries said the programme had changed her understanding of the importance of deliberately telling her personal and business story.
She noted that entrepreneurs risk losing control of their narratives when they fail to communicate their experiences, vision and value effectively.
The beneficiary said technical or creative competence alone was not enough if potential customers, partners and investors remained unaware of the value being created.
She added that the training had equipped her with the confidence and skills to communicate her work, articulate her vision and position her creative enterprise for greater visibility and growth.
