The capacity building certifications is to connect artisans to customers, provide employment and stem the tide of the country’s brain drain across the 36 states of the federation.
For its first batch, the Surulere council and Rísé.ng partnered to empower over 1000 artisans and vendors in Surulere by funding their registration on Rísé.ng online business platform to ensure easy access to customers and accessibility. Artisans and vendors across the local government area and environs were given the opportunity to enlist their trades and crafts on Rísé.ng to enable them connect with clients.
Rísé, is a word of Yoruba origin which means ‘Find Work’.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Rísé.ng, Olawunmi Akalusi, revealed that the Chairman, Surulere Council, Bamidele Yusuf and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, paid N6,000 for each vendor (N6 million in total) for a year, covering insurance and the verification process.
She said: “The good thing for traders and artisans in Surulere is that the chairman paid for the verification and insurance for the whole year for 1,000 artisans. The verification costs N3, 000 just as the insurance costs N3, 000.
“The verification ensures security for both parties, (the artisans and customers) while the insurance ensures that if anything happens to them when delivering goods or services, they are covered to an extent. We are still working on general life insurance in cases of accidents.” Akalusi said they had put measures in place on the app to ensure artisans deliver quality goods and services to customers.
“We have a system where artisans are rated by their customers based on their service delivery. If a vendor or an artisan gets three strikes based on negative ratings, we will automatically remove the person from the system. This is to ensure that customers get quality services and products,” she said.
According to her, the initiative would be extended to other local governments in the state, as the plan is to empower at least 36, 000 people in the country.
Gbajabiamila, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Smart Olanrewaju, described the platform as one of the safety nets that artisans in the constituency needed to increase the portfolio of their businesses.
To him, partnering with the local government is to ensure that artisans in the area migrate to e-commerce platforms like Rísé.ng to increase their market access.
“It is an electronic platform that enables them to interface with customers online and provide services to them seamlessly. There is no doubt that this will add to the income of artisans in Surulere. This programme will be extended to Itire-Ikate, Coker Aguda and other local government areas in the state,” he said.
The Chairman, Surulere Local Government, Sulaimon Yusuf, said the partnership was in line with his quest for the development in all areas of the community.
Yusuf, represented by the Vice Chairman, Adewale Dosumu, said he would continue to fund registration of businesses on the platform to enable the operators to have unhindered access to customers and conduct their business activities with ease.
Adesoji Abowaba, Chairman, Tradesman and Artisan Association, Surulere, lauded the initiative, which he said showed their commitment to the development and economic wellbeing of the people of Surulere.
He revealed that the beneficiaries were selected from all the 35 registered trades operating in the local government.
“We have 35 registered trades in Surulere and 1,000 beneficiaries were selected from all the trades, though they were not given equal opportunities based on their membership strength. Rísé coming to Surulere is a good initiative because it is an opportunity to help our members expand their businesses with ease and make more money.
“For those who don’t have smartphones, we have advised them to use their children’s phones to register on the app so they will not be left out,” Abowaba said.
