The Igbo Apprenticeship System: Unlocking Economic Empowerment

🎥 Last week in Abuja, Institut Francais aired the documentary, #Freemen, about the centuries-old Igbo apprenticeship system known as ‘Igba Boi’. As part of their cultural exchange programme, the centre showcases films, music, art exhibitions, language programmes and other cultural activities. It provided much insight into the apprenticeship system and the experiences of Igbo traders.

The Igbo apprenticeship system is regarded as one of the most powerful, community-driven models of entrepreneurship in Africa. Rooted in shared prosperity, it transforms young apprentices into business owners through on-the-job training and eventual capital support. Some business lessons it teaches include the power of collaboration, negotiation, continuous learning and improvement, and finding a niche when there are gaps.

This informal yet structured system is said to have become the cornerstone of Igbo economic success, particularly after the Nigerian Civil War. As Ill Bliss (Nigerian rapper) narrates in the film, ‘After the war, every surviving Igbo home regardless of how much you stashed in the bank or how much assets you had, was handed twenty Pounds to start off again. So, we started from scratch after the war.’

To escape poverty and economic hardship many of those families had to resort to the apprenticeship system. It has produced many popular, successful entrepreneurs in Nigeria and beyond such as
🎯 Innocent Chukwuma (Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing)
🎯 Cosmas Maduka (Coscharis Group)
🎯 Dr. Samuel Maduka Onyishi (Peace Mass Transit)
🎯 Ejikeme Augustine Ilodibe (Ekene Dili Chukwu Motors)
🎯 Cletus Ibeto (The Ibeto Group)

According to the film, Ariaria market in Aba, Abia state (southeast Nigeria), which is one of the largest leather shoe-making markets in West Africa, with an estimated 2 million traders, has also produced a large number of traders through the apprenticeship system.
The system is a powerful example of "stakeholder capitalism" because its core principle is "shared prosperity." This is embodied in the proverb "onye aghala nwanne ya" (don't leave your brother behind), which ensures that wealth is circulated and provides a safety net against poverty.

The World Economic Forum and Harvard Business School have both recognized and studied the 'Igba Boi' system for its effective model of wealth creation and social resilience. It is also currently being reviewed to make it more professional and free of rights abuse.

References: Freemen, Business Day Nigeria.

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