As members of Leadership Initiatives' (LI) International Internship Program, Audrey, Emily, Emma, Giovanna, and Tess have been collaborating with local entrepreneurs, to address critical grassroots challenges facing small business owners in Bauchi, Nigeria. To transform lives, the team & LI are working to train vulnerable men and women in financial literacy and business management to empower & equip them to escape extreme poverty.
According to the World Bank, Nigeria's poverty rate is currently at 46% due in part to weak human capital development and under-investment in rural regions. Nigeria currently ranks 152 of 157 countries in the World Bank's Human Capital Index. A large number of uneducated, out-of-school, and unemployed youth combined with a lack of employment opportunities has created a cycle of poverty in Northern Nigeria. The Leadership Initiatives Community Development Program aims to break down these barriers
To ensure the realization of entrepreneurial empowerment necessary to enhance economic growth and development, first, there is a need to train new business owners in basic business skills. Leadership Initiatives & our team will train community leaders to open and operate their businesses, utilize community resources, and promote sustainable development across their respective villages, towns, and cities.
Communities will have successful businesses to use as models for sustainable growth and independence. The projects will showcase entrepreneurship, both social and private, and provide templates for how communities across the developing world can overcome development obstacles. Leadership Initiatives & our team aim to utilize the potential of local leaders and underserved communities to create cost-efficient and small-scale examples of effective grassroots development.
