- The “Business Linkages Initiative” came after the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta in May 2021
- Tayo Emmanuel Kehinde, CEO of Vectis, said it would empower income generation
The “Business Linkages Initiative” was a mentorship and capacity building program to bring renewable energy sector retailers on board as part of attempts to bridge the Niger Delta’s unemployment gap. The program, which took place in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers states, came after the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) and DMG-Events, Dubai, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in May 2021.
Through a Retailers Linkage Program, the MOU aimed to improve the market for renewable energy in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. “The Retailers Linkage Program aims to raise awareness of procurement procedures and requirements among young entrepreneurs from retail enterprises in Bayelsa, Delta. And Rivers States and enhancing networking opportunities among major dealers,” Teslim Giwa, PIND’s Access to Energy Manager, said at the training’s opening session.
“This is essentially a business-to-business connection program tailored to the Solar PV market.” 50 MSMEs in the Niger Delta (Delta-10, Bayelsa-25, and Rivers-15) would be onboarded as merchants of renewable energy products due to this relationship. We’ll also be developing their skills as Solar PV specialists at the entry-level so that they may become installers and assist the sector.”
The Retailers Linkage Program, according to Giwa, fits into PIND’s Access to Energy model since communities that previously had no access to energy and renewable energy technologies may now be exposed to the business modules, which provide them with electricity at a low cost.