The 127th Inaugural Lecture of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), Awka, has spotlighted the Igbo apprenticeship system, popularly known as Igba Boi, as a sustainable model for tackling youth unemployment and promoting small and medium-scale enterprises in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event, Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, represented by his Deputy, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, said Anambra has taken significant steps to empower young people through well-structured programmes aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and self-reliance.
Governor Soludo urged the private sector to partner with government in strengthening the Igba Boi system, describing it as an informal business school that has successfully developed human capital, nurtured entrepreneurs, and sustained livelihoods across the South-East.
He noted that the Anambra State Government had already enacted legislation to formalise and strengthen the apprenticeship system, making it more beneficial to participants.
Declaring the lecture open, the Vice-Chancellor of UNIZIK, Professor Stanley Anyaechie, described the lecture’s theme, “Navigating the Labyrinth of SME Development in Nigeria: Unveiling an Improved Model of Igbo Apprenticeship Scheme as a Mitigant,” as timely and relevant to Nigeria’s economic development.
Delivering the inaugural lecture, Professor Chinedu Onyeizugbe of the Department of Business Administration highlighted the economic benefits of the apprenticeship model while outlining practical recommendations for improving the system.
He commended the Anambra State Government’s One Youth, Two Skills initiative, noting that the programme has empowered many young people and inspired similar youth empowerment initiatives in other states and at the federal level.
Professor Onyeizugbe advocated integrating apprenticeship with formal education and encouraged greater inclusion of young women in the scheme to expand opportunities for entrepreneurship and SME development.
He also acknowledged the support of organisations such as the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the World Bank, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in promoting entrepreneurship and small business development.
Speaking after the lecture, the Anambra State Commissioner for Youth Development and Sports, Mr. Patrick Aghamba, praised Professor Onyeizugbe for his contributions to the success of the state’s youth empowerment programmes, describing his work as instrumental to the achievements of the Solution administration’s youth development agenda.
