GENTLE .C. WOKE
A Non-government Organization the Empowerment Support Initiative (ESI) says it will partner with the City and Guide of London to award its certificate in technical education to graduands of its skill acquisition programme
Founder of the ESI and wife of the governor of Rivers State, Dame Judith Amaechi stated this Monday during the opening ceremony of the 3-day ESI fashion project in Port Harcourt.
Mrs. Amaechi said the ESI fashion project was initiated to develop the local fashion designer in line with the Federal Government Local Contact Policy and to update their skills in accordance with International best practices.
The governor’s wife said the Fashion Industry in Nigeria especially in the Niger Delta was capable of alleviating poverty if properly harnessed in the interest of the people. According to her, there are local designers whose final products are incomparable with their contemporaries elsewhere but could make impact in the international market, if properly develop.
Mrs. Amaechi who was represented by the administrator of the empowerment support initiative (ESI) Mr. Nowa Omorogbe said the organization is partnering with the City and Guide of London to prepare the trainees and award them international certification in technical education in their area of strength after their training.
She Said a team from City and Guide London will be visiting the NGO office to fintune the new partnership.
According to her “our programme is designed in line with global challenges and expectation and in accordance with best practices especially the ESI Fashion Project. We have local designers with bad finishing and what we are doing is to update the skills of the local designer in the Niger Delta and expose them to fashion trend internationally. That is why we are partnering with an international examining body the city and guide London to award certificate in technical skills after our training. This will enable them become employable even in the international market and the fashion industry is indeed a huge market yet to be explored”.
ESI’s training partner and Managing Director Culture London Ade Bakare said its organization was willing to partner with ESI to develop the Niger Delta fashion industry due to its various peoples oriented programmers that have changed lives of families positively.
He said Culture London would complement ESI in providing international exposure for trainees and provide mentoring career development to enable them realize their dreams in their areas of competence.
Local designers will be trained in bead making, fashion design, modeling among others in the 3-days program packaged to include orientation, workshop, exhibition and “gala night”, an evening where trainees will showcase their talents and products after the training.
DIKE BEKWELE
Media Assistant
