American cake artist, Buddy Valastro, and Managing Director, Dewdrops Cake Ltd., Mrs Ezinne Okonkwo, at a baking seminar in Lagos on Wednesday
No fewer than 3,000 bakers from Nigeria, Tanzania, Ghana and some other African countries have converged on Lagos to share ideas on cake baking, in an effort to be self-reliant and be employers of labour.
The bakers are participating in a three-day seminar on cake baking organised by a Nigeria cake producing firm, Dewdrops Cakes Ltd.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that seminar, tagged “Dewdrops Uncut Learning 2”,is taking place at the Landmark Event Centre on Victoria Island.
The Managing Director of Dewdrops Cakes Ltd., Mrs Ezinne Okonkwo, said at the event on Thursday that enabling environment would encourage the baking industry and meaningfully engage the youth.
“My aim is to groom fresh and professional bakers to a standard level of having an all-round knowledge about baking, including the business aspect of baking.
“This seminar will have a very huge positive impact on the baking industry in Nigeria because we are having a lot of people coming from outside, including Buddy Valastro, America-based cake artist also know as `Cake boss’.
“It means our tourist level has increased, and it is definitely giving Nigeria a very good name.
“All the participants will be impacted with more knowledge on how to boost their businesses,”Okonkwo said.
She said that the company, with the support of some other companies and the Lagos State Government, would provide equipment worth millions of naira for some upcoming bakers to attract them to baking business.
The managing director said that the baking industry needed constant supply of electricity and water as well as quality raw materials.
“Lagos State Government is interested in the baking industry; that is why it supported us; we need to make economy to be stable.
“When a dollar was N150, it was okay, but when it rose up, everything about cake production went up. We need a stable environment for bakers to grow.”
The managing director said that the baking industry had created employments for many citizens and still had the potential to engage many more.
A Canada-based cake artist, Mr Terry Adido, advised upcoming bakers to keep learning from experienced ones.
Adido, also an instructor at the programme, said that a cake artist would need to create his or her signature.
“Customers look out for neatness and artistic interpretation.
“Baking industry is very lucrative ,” he said.
Mr Tosan Jemide, a board member of Nigerian Association of Cake and Sugarcraft Professionals, urged cake artists to come together and be organised to facilitate the growth of the baking industry.
“We want every cake artist to join the association in a bid to place Nigeria’s cake industry on the global map,” he said.
A participant, Miss Blessing Omelebele, told NAN that the seminar would impact much on her baking business.
