460 FCT, Niger Youths Benefit From World Bank Programme

A total of 460 youths from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Niger State have benefitted from the World Bank-supported Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS) in Niger State.

The project leader of Ubelle Neo Cloud Technologies Consortium, Dr Ali Onoja, who stated this yesterday at the graduation ceremony of digital trainees, inauguration of the internship programme and unveiling of Multipurpose Cooperative Society in Suleja, Niger State, explained that the 460 beneficiaries were selected from more than 900 applicants.

Onoja said that the beneficiaries underwent rigorous digital skills development from December 2023 and were equipped with the tools and knowledge necessary to thrive in the digital age.

He explained that the Ubelle Nig. Ltd and Neo Cloud Technologies Consortium were among the 14 private sector organisations selected as grantees of the Innovation Grant Funding (IGF) under the IDEAS project.

He said the aim was to equip eligible youths, especially women, people with disabilities, and the vulnerable, with digital skills and certification.

He said that digital marketing and digital entrepreneurship skills would enhance the capacity of the Nigerian skills development system to produce relevant skills for the formal and informal sectors.

“However, learning alone is not enough. To turn their skills into successful ventures, they need resources, support, and opportunities; this is where Fabsi Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd comes in.

“We understand that starting or expanding a business requires more than just knowledge; it needs capital, mentorship, and a network of like-minded individuals.

“Fabsi Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd. is designed to provide the graduates and other interested members of the public with these essential resources,” he said.

The managing director of Neo Cloud Technologies, Mr Edwin Omoruyi, said that the beneficiaries have acquired knowledge and competencies to serve as the foundation for their future careers.

Also, IGF consultant Mr Ndem Ndiyo, National Project Implementation Unit, Federal Ministry of Education, said that the IDEAS project was an ambitious and transformative initiative designed to enhance the quality and relevance of skills development in Nigeria.

Ndiyo described the project as one of the successful public-private partnerships in the education sector in Nigeria, which was designed to leverage private sector resources for digital training.

He added that the beneficiaries would be certified by the National Skills Qualification Framework to become employable, self-employed, and labour employers.

“They will go through an internship programme where the digital industry will engage them to put their skills to use, after which we will look at job placement for them. In the long run, this will enable them to impact the nation’s digital economy,” he said.

One of them, Khadijat Abubakar, a data analytics trainee, described the digital training as one of the best she had ever attended and thanked the organisers for the opportunity.

Abubakar said that the training had equipped her with the skills to seize the vast opportunities the digital economy provides.