A new study has spotlighted the Mobile Empowerment Train Rural Entrepreneurship Development Strategy (MeTrEds) as a powerful tool for tackling poverty and driving grassroots business growth in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.
The research, carried out by Dr. Marcus Friday Ovovwero Ekure and Dr. Fatima O. Oyeleye of the University of Strathclyde Business School, alongside Dr. Russell Avre of Greensprings Digital University, examined how MeTrEds has transformed rural communities long trapped in economic hardship.
The Niger Delta, despite contributing more than 95 percent of Nigeria’s export earnings through oil and gas, remains one of the most deprived regions in the country. Environmental degradation, unemployment, and years of failed government poverty alleviation programs have left many rural households struggling with limited access to education, healthcare, and financial services.
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According to the researchers, MeTrEds offers a fresh solution. Unlike conventional cash-handout schemes, the program delivers mobile, community-based training, mentorship, and financial literacy education tailored to rural needs. Participants receive hands-on entrepreneurial guidance that enables them to launch and sustain businesses without relying on government interventions.
The study, which combined ethnographic interviews with 380 entrepreneurs across 48 communities, found that over 70 percent of participants recorded business growth and higher incomes after undergoing MeTrEds training. Statistical analysis further revealed strong correlations between participation in the program and business survival, financial independence, and access to funding.
“Grassroots empowerment, not top-down government directives, is the real key to lasting poverty reduction,” the researchers concluded. “MeTrEds succeeds where other programs have failed because it combines local mentoring, peer support, and practical skills training.”
Participants of the program have moved beyond survival businesses to establish enterprises that are both profitable and sustainable. Many have expanded their operations, created jobs within their communities, and improved living standards for their families.
The report also revealed that MeTrEds’ approach aligns with the Capability Approach, an economic development framework that prioritizes building human capacity and long-term independence rather than short-term financial relief.
As poverty and unemployment continue to fuel social unrest in the Niger Delta, the success of MeTrEds offers a clear lesson: community-driven entrepreneurship may hold the key to breaking cycles of dependency and insecurity in Nigeria’s oil-rich but economically disadvantaged region.
