The Obafemi Awolowo University Muslim Graduates Association, UNIFEMGA,Ibadan chapter, organised a one-day Empowerment workshop on Saturday 11th September, 2021.
The workshop was held at Qiblah Schools from 9:00am to 5:00pm.
The theme of the workshop was: Seeking Socio-economic security: The Islamic Panacea.
There were two sessions of paper presentations and interaction with facilitators.
Papers were presented by Alhaji Luqman Obileye, Managing Director of B-K-O Citadel Ltd and Administrator of AbdulKabir Aliu Foundation/Unifemga, officials from Jaiz Bank, Lotus Capital investment Ltd, led by Mrs. Dara, Mr. Amusat, an author of books on Starting Businesses, Mrs.Titiloye Olayinka,the Oyo state coordinator of Lifeplus Foundation, Mr. Nurudeen, a young entrepreneur and expert in Alternative Energy.
The participants learnt about writing acceptable business proposals for investors, starting business with Zero Capital, different business opportunities in agriculture such as mushroom farming,snail rearing, bee farming (apiculture), Rabbit raising, and other modern (hydroponic) ways of backyard farming with little capital and land requirement. Participants learnt about different other lucrative businesses they could set up with little capital and training.
The participants were also acquainted with several Islamic windows available for funding businesses in banks and with other fund managers as ethical products. The beauties of non-interest banking (ethical) products were enunciated by most of the facilitators. Basic rules guiding savings and investments were also taught at the workshop. Participants also learnt about Business Models Canvas (BMC) and what investors often looked for in a business proposals.
Participants, who cut across all ages, gender and religion, were later given the opportunity to interact with all the facilitators to ask questions directly from them, and further learn about specific areas of interests to individual participant.
The interactive session was coordinated by Dr.(Mrs) Modinat Rufai, a member of the Organising committee.
An investor, who was impressed by the organisation’s commitment to poverty reduction in the land, and touched by the large turnout of people, despite the short publicity given to the programme, promised to fund the best acceptable five business proposals, not more than N100,000: 00 each. One of the partnering organisation promised to collaborate with Unifemga to facilitate effective training programme in agriculture that would see them mentoring people and providing information on funding and marketing of the products they might produce.
According to the Organising Secretary of the Empowerment Committee, Dr. Lukman Tunde Fasasi, participants would be grouped together and a platform would be created for business networking, further information from the association on economic empowerment and other related empowerment issues or news that could members as a way of mentoring them.
Earlier the the national Ameer of UNIFEMGA, Engnr. Abdul Fatai Olanlege, the State Ameer, Engnr (Dr) Ismail Kamil, and the Chairman of the Organising committee, Engnr. Wakeel Dele, in their introductory speeches stated the various efforts of the association at contributing to national development through several programmes like the workshop, mentoring young graduates, sponsorship of undergraduates in universities through granting of scholarship and other activities.
The National Ameer (president) and state Ameer (Chairman) emphasised the willingness of the association to partner with donors and investors towards poverty alleviation.
To end the programme, Dr Miftah Ajani Amuda thanked the participants for their conduct all through the workshop and reminded them of importance of ensuring the use of emerging Islamic Insurance covers as panacea to forestall premature business failures.
Additionally, participants themselves requested that they should be allowed to express their general feelings about the programme. One of them spoke on their behalf to show their gratitude and satisfaction at the opportunity given to them by UNIFEMGA to be part of the workshop.
There was a request that more of such workshops should be facilitated by the association, in the future, in order to make meaningful and sustained contributions towards poverty alleviation in the land.
