As unemployment threatens livelihoods in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta, the West Africa Container Terminal (WACT), operated by APM Terminals Nigeria, has trained over 500 residents of its host communities in business and entrepreneurship under its flagship programme, WACTpreneur.
The six-month training, held in batches, targets residents of Onne and Ogu communities in Rivers State, mostly women, and aims to equip them with practical tools to start and sustain small businesses.
Participants were taught key business concepts ranging from customer relations and record-keeping to cash flow management and sourcing for finance.
“This is more than just training,” said Jeethu Jose, managing director of the Terminal. “It’s an investment in the future of our host communities. My dream is that WACT is in each and every heart and we touch each and every family in the coming years.”
The programme was launched in 2023 following a community-led needs assessment that identified limited business knowledge as a barrier to economic resilience. Since then, three batches have completed the training, with growing interest among residents and visible improvements in local enterprises, the terminal reported
“We are confident these graduates will become beacons of success in their communities,” the company said.
Local leaders also acknowledged the programme’s impact, noting that “They didn’t just give us fish, they taught us how to catch it,” said Christiana Tamunobereton-Ari, vice chairperson of Ogu/Bolo. “It now boils down to us.”
Sunday Dudu, community development committee chairman for Onne, added that similar projects are currently underway.
Before now, APM Terminals has awarded scholarship, trained women in sanitary pad production, and powered health centres, all part of what it describes as long-term, practical responses to social and economic challenges in the region.
