Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry has commenced a systematic and qualitative training programme for established and budding entrepreneurs who wish to develop their businesses and add value to services provided for their clients. This is in addition to its mandate of public advocacy, research, arbitration and trade promotion.
Larry Segun-Lean, chairman, training committee of the Chamber’s Business Education, Services and Training (BEST) unit, disclosed this while presenting the LCCI 2013 Training Programme to newsmen last week. He said LCCI had realised the need to further support businesses to improve on their operations.
“These enterprises must necessarily be given business support and developmental services, especially training, to increase their chances of developing from small to medium sized, and then into large companies, thus creating the next generation of Fortune-500 companies in Nigeria,” Segun-Lean said.
He further disclosed that BEST unit would also offer free counselling to business owners to ensure survival and meaningful growth of their enterprises, thereby contributing positively to the national economy. The training sessions would be effected in a conducive environment and at subsidised rates, he added.
Confirming that the LCCI implements prescribed interventions to meet international standards, Larry-Lean said the board of BEST unit had resolved to continue to deliver world-class services to the business community “while contributing meaningfully to the development of our youths.”
He stressed that development initiative, which focused on entrepreneurship, including training and mentoring of youths, was an antidote to unemployment, poverty, crime and other social vices.
“We cannot leave everything to government. The world over, governments are working hard at sustainable growth of their economies. Since small and medium enterprises constitute the foundation of economic growth of any country, the private sector must step up its efforts to ensure this is achieved,” the committee chairman, reiterated.
He therefore called on members of the private sector to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Chamber through its training programmes, which would run from April through December.
SIAKA MOMOH
