SME Development: Ikenne Local Government to Sponsor Youths on Overseas Training
By Olusegun Ogunleye media team
In her efforts at further developing the Small and Medium Enterprise segment of her economy, and thereby promoting youth empowerment towards self-reliance, Ikenne Local Government, Ogun State, has concluded plans to sponsor ten of her youths to a 2-week training programme in the United Kingdom.
The capacity-building programme, wholly sponsored by the local government in fulfilment of one of the campaign promises of the Olusegun OGUNLEYE-led administration on youth empowerment, is jointly put together by Authentic Interior Decor of Nigeria and the Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham, United Kingdom, and will hold towards the end of April 2022.
According to the facilitator of the programme, Ayokunle Ogunderu of Authentic Interior Decor, the training is meant to empower the youths to be self-reliant, and also serves as a means of curbing and reducing social vices such as thuggery, cultism, cyber fraud, and prostitution among the youths.
He stated that, aside from the practical knowledge that the participants will be exposed to, which will in turn makes them become self-reliant,
“arrangement has equally been concluded by the local government for them to access start-up grants provided by the Central Bank of Nigeria, to enable them establish a Stained and Leaded Glass Studio in Ikenne Local Government area of Ogun State”
The first of its kind, that will be established in Nigeria, as there is no known corporate outfit providing such services in the entire West Africa.
During the 2-week duration, participants shall be taught on various modern techniques in Stained and Leaded Glass production by a seasoned artist, Jamal Rafay, the Director of the Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham.
Jamal, a freelance artist and maker of stained glass, worked at John Hardman Studio where he designed, restored, and conserved stained glass windows for several historical buildings, modern architecture, private companies and domestic clients.
At Hardman, he explored Pugin’s theory and Hardman’s practice of Gothic revival stained glass. Through stained glass restoration, he has mastered multiple glass painting styles and techniques, used in medieval arts and crafts, Pre-Raphaelites and Gothic Revival stained glass.
With over 20 years of arts practice, he has established himself as a freelance artist and educator. He produces hand-painted stained glass for a variety of global clients from his own studio – StainedGlassic in Birmingham.
A Master of Fine Arts in Arts Practice and Education, from the Birmingham City University; Jamal also holds another Masters of Fine Arts in Illustration/Graphic Design from the Institute of Arts and Design, Lahore.