…urges members to embrace retirement plan
By Abdul-Mumeen Abdul-Quadir
The Artisans, Peasants and Traders Association of Nigeria, APTAN, Alimosho Chapter, at the weekend, held its annual capacity-building seminar for members.
The theme for this year’s seminar was, “Artisan to Enterpreneur: Turning skills into successful businesses.”
The group organises the yearly seminar to equip its members with innovative ideas that will assist them in further improving on their skills for optimum service delivery.
Last year’s edition equipped the members with soft skills such as communication, work ethics, teamwork, networking, problem-solving and time management skills.
The Co-ordinator, Abdul-Rasheed Hamzat, said that this year’s programme aimed at turning the members into real entrepreneurs with thriving businesses and enterprises.
He said: “We organised this seminar to ensure that artisans, who have become competent in their crafts, can expand and grow, such that in a few years, artisans would have registered companies sourced far and wide.”
He, then, urged the members to pay rapt attention, put lessons learnt to practical use, and make the seminar fulfil its purpose.
Artisan with business sense unstoppable
The Guest Speaker, Alhaji Abdul-Wahab Afolabi, while discussing the theme of the seminar, asserted that “an artisan with skill is powerful but an artisan with business sense becomes unstoppable.”
Alhaji Afolabi, a financial expert, took participants through a step by step guide on how to transit from mere craftsmen to vibrant businessmen, while urging them to be positive-minded.
“The first you need is a positive business mindset. Once you have that, you can identify business ideas and opportunities in your craft, focus on your strength, and outperform your competitors with creativity and ingenuity.
“Leverage your skills and expertise. You can employ people to work with you. When your employees know that you are good at what you do, they do your job well. That way you can take more jobs, and make more money.
“Harness market research/customers’ feedback, exchange value and don’t compromise standards. Remember: An artisan with skill is powerful, but the one with business skills is unstoppable,” he declared.
He also charged them to get certifications to advance their crafts and remain relevant.
Register with CAC for business credibility, opportunities
In a goodwill message, the immediate past chairman, Nigeria Institution of Environmental Engineers, NIEE, Lagos State Chapter, Eng. Yusuf Majolagbe, advised participants to register their businesses in order to grab opportunities.
According to Eng. Majolagbe, “without registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, your businesses will not have the credibility it requires to thrive. So, the first step is to register your business.”
He also tasked them to be intentional about branding as this will position them as go-to brands that no one can put away.
“By embracing all the steps and strategies taught here today, artisans can evolve from humble beginnings to impactful enterprises with global reach.
“Moreover, achieving all discussed today can put us in a vantage position to access grants and non-interest loans, accelerating our growth into scalable MSMEs,” he added.
It’s highly impactful
Some of the participants told Community Standard at the end of the seminar that it was really helpful, and commended APTAN for prioritising the growth of its members.
Mr Shakirudeen Abdul-Azeez, a bricklayer, said: “The seminar is a very good one, and I have learnt great lessons that will help me from now on. It’s just sad that those who didn’t come for the seminar have missed all that has been taught here today.”
Mrs Faoziyyah Abdul-Fattah, CEO of Habimaz Corporate Catering and Events, said that “the seminar is 100% packed and if participants follow the lessons to letter, it will make transitioning from artisans and peasants to entrepreneurs.”
Embrace APTAN retirement plan programme
Meanwhile, the Co-ordinator, Abdul-Rasheed Hamzat, urged the members to embrace the retirement programme put in place by the association.
He told Community Standard that the organization came up with the idea having realized that its members, giving the nature of their work, will not be as energetic as they are now after some years.
Hamzat said that a number of artisans have embraced the retirement plan initiated by APTAN, and it has improved financial commitment to the organisation.
“We realised that these artisans, peasants and traders, who are very active and agile now, will not be as energetic after some years. We then came up with retirement plans for them, so they would have something to bank on at their old age.
“13 members have keyed into the programme, and the association has since recorded 25% increase in financial commitment of members.”
