A boy from southeast Nigeria moves in with an established trader. For years he carries boxes, watches deals and learns how the market works. At the end, the master gives him money to open a business of his own, often in the same market. The Igbo call it Igba Boi.
A 2024 study in Cogent Business & Management spoke with 40 former and current apprentices to find out how the system teaches. The answer: by watching and copying. Over many years, the apprentice picks up both the knowledge and the habits of his master, and with them a way of doing business that lasts a lifetime.
This learning happens outside school, and people with any level of education can take part. What it asks for is patience and commitment, from the apprentice, his family and the master. The authors see in it a strong way to pass on skills and train people in business.
Earlier research by Paul Igwe and colleagues, based on interviews with 50 Igbo entrepreneurs and community leaders, adds the bigger picture. Igbo families offer young people role models, early chances to succeed and a safe place to take risks and try new ideas. The apprenticeship passes this spirit of enterprise on to the next generation.
Other studies describe the system's open questions, among them disputes over the final settlement and the long exclusion of women.
Sources
Irene, B., et al. (2024). Entrepreneurial learning in informal apprenticeship programs: Exploring the learning process of the Igbo Apprenticeship System (IAS) in Nigeria. Cogent Business & Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2399312
Igwe, P., et al. (2018). Keeping it in the family: Exploring Igbo ethnic entrepreneurial behaviour in Nigeria. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijebr-12-2017-0492
Familoni, O. O. (2024). The role of the Igbo Apprenticeship System in entrepreneurship development in Nigeria. African Journal of Management and Business Research. https://doi.org/10.62154/ajmbr.2024.016.010361