675 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and seafarers gained insight on how to start a business during a series of entrepreneurial development sessions conducted in 2019 by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Northern Mindanao in Cagayan de Oro City.

89% of the OFWs who attended the seminars were land-based and 11% were sea-based. The OFWs include those working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

Classifications of the participants were mainly domestic helpers, followed by seafarers, engineers, pipe fitters, and technicians. The participants came from Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, and other regions of Mindanao, with majority coming from Misamis Oriental.

The weekly seminar include topics on what it takes to be an entrepreneur, its benefits and advantages, viable business opportunities, and personal entrepreneurial competencies.

These sessions are regularly conducted by DTI every Friday afternoon in the OWWA Cagayan de Oro Office in Trinidad Building, Yacapin Street, Cagayan de Oro City.

The partnership between DTI 10 and OWWA 10 is implemented to support joint programs, projects, and services as part of the Reintegration Program for OFWs.♦

Date of Release: 5 February 2020