US Consulate trains Enugu women in automobile refurbishment

The United States of America Consulate in Nigeria is currently training no less than 30 women apprentices in the trade of automobile refurbishment in Enugu.

Commissioning the launch of AutoEase Women Training & Mentorship Project (AWTM), an exclusive free women training programme in association with the United States African Development Foundation, USADF, in Enugu, the US Consulate Public Affairs Officer, Mr Stephen Ibelli said that the interest of the consulate was that one of the policy goals of the US government in Nigeria was the promotion of entrepreneurship, particularly in women.

“This is because when women do better, the families, communities do better and the societies do better because they invest in their families, communities and in their societies.

“We’ve trained over 470 women in our entrepreneurship skills and in the last session which was for 250 slots, we had 15, 700 applications. Nigeria is such an entrepreneurial society and people dream like Americans of having their own businesses, having their own shops and it’s a shared value between the two countries,” Ibelli said.

The project was created for women living in Enugu State with an interest in Automobile Refurbishment, Auto Upholstery Works and Detailing and to give women more opportunities and networks in the fast-growing Automobile Refurbishment Industry.

Head of the trainers and CEO of AutoEase, Mrs Oby Okeke said that some of the ladies already trained in trade in collaboration with the Enugu state SME have started their self practices, while others were retained as employees of the company and have all been doing well.

She noted that the Academy for Women Entrepreneurs is a platform where women in business are coached and mentored on skills and has been vital in helping women start up their own businesses after training.

“We currently have 30 women on training, basically for women empowerment. A good number who have passed through the training are already working with us and it has been a great success for those who are committed to it.

“They actually do bodywork very well after training and the USADF found it a very good venture and supported the system because they trust the process and the integrity of AutoEase and that’s why they came all the way from Lagos to see what we are doing,” said Okeke.

Some of the apprentices testified that when they started to learn the art of automobile refurbishment, they were initially discouraged and thought it was not a woman’s trade, but that with perseverance, diligence and support, they got used to the trade of fixing cars.

One of the beneficiaries of the programme, Mrs Ifeoma Calli-James, while speaking at the commissioning, said that there was temporary confusion at the beginning of the programme, with some of the ladies unable to handle the machines being used to fix cars, but that as time went on and most especially with the encouragement of the CEO/Co-founder of AutoEase, Mrs Oby Okeke, they measured up.

Calli-James said: “Having gone through the training has been a good one. Our CEO has made us believe in ourselves, very accommodating and encouraging. When we started we did know we were going anywhere but later we realized that what a man can do, a woman can do better. Thanks to AutoEase and the supporting partners for believing in women.”

Another trainee, Obiajulu Ugwu said that without women such as Mrs Okeke, they would not have made it. “The training started in the month of March which coincided with the month when women are celebrated. The training has been awesome. We want to do something different and that’s why we are here. The trainers have been kind and tolerant. The job is not easy but the men trainees did not write us off, they kept encouraging us,” she recounted.

An Enugu state government official, Mr Ikeje Asogwa said it was interesting to see the development in Nigeria and in Enugu state. He urged the women to remain focused and committed, promising that they will see the reward at the end of the day.