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From Magnus Eze, Enugu
No fewer than 30 women automobile refurbishment apprentices have shown that what men can do, women could actually do better. These women declared that when they commenced learning the art of automobile repair. They were initially discouraged and thought it was not a woman’s trade but, with perseverance, diligence and support, they got used to the trade of fixing vehicles.
The ladies gave the testimonies in Enugu recently during 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).
The project was created for women living in Enugu State with interest in automobile refurbishment, auto upholstery works and detailing and to give women more opportunities and networks in the fast growing automobile refurbishment industry.
Daily Sun learnt that the programme would last six months and trainees are expected to have mastered the various aspects of automobile refurbishment within the period.
Speaking at the launch, one of the beneficiaries of the programme, Mrs. Ifeoma Calli-James, said there was confusion at the beginning of the programme, with some of the ladies unable to handle the machines being used to fix cars, but as time went on and especially with the encouragement of the CEO/co-founder of AutoEase, Mrs. Oby Okeke, they measured up.
Calli-James said: “Having gone through it, the training has been a good one. Our CEO has made us believe in ourselves; she is very accommodating and encouraging. When we started, we didn’t know we were going anywhere but, later, we realised 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, without women like Mrs. Okeke, they would not have made it: “The training started in 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 u.”
CEO of AutoEase, Mrs. Okeke, who leads the trainers, said some of the ladies already trained in the trade, in collaboration with the Enugu State SME, have started their 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 in skills and has been vital in helping women start up their own businesses after training.
Okeke said: “We currently have 30 women in 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 body work 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.”
The US Consulate’s public affairs officer, Mr. Stephen Ibelli, said the interest of the consulate was that one of the policy goals of the US government in Nigeria was 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.”
An Enugu State government official, Mr. Ikeje Asogwa, said it was interesting to see the development in Enugu State and indeed Nigeria. He urged the women to remain focused and committed, promising that they would see the reward at the end of the day.
