UNICEF, YABATECH Empower 200 Girls With Skills, Startup Toolkits

United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in collaboration with Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) has empowered 200 girls with skills, global certification and startup toolkits in digital core areas.

The empowerment programme came as the Girls Education and Skills Partnership (GESP) initiative sponsored by UNICEF, held at the Yusuf Grillo Auditorium of the college engaged the girls with the transformative initiative using global relevant technical skills, entrepreneurial tools and a direct path to financial independence which was co-sponsored by UK Aid and Generation Unlimited.

The special guest of honour at the event and first lady of Lagos State, Dr (Mrs) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, represented by the wife of the chairman, Ojodu LCDA, Mrs Abimbola Odumbaku, emphasised the transformative power of girl-child education and the need to prepare girls not just to graduate, but to lead.

She described education as a powerful weapon for societal change and stressed the importance of combining technical skills with character, vision, and resilience.

The chairman, Governing Council of YABATECH, Prof Funsho Afolabi, described the initiative as a shining example of leadership, education and effective public-private partnership.

He praised the college’s preparedness for future transitions and called on alumni and stakeholders to support YABATECH’s ongoing endowment drive aimed at strengthening infrastructure and academic excellence.

The representative of UNICEF and manager, Social Policy, Mr Muhammed Okorie lauded the initiative and its relevance in the development of the Nigerian girl-child.

“With Nigeria’s youth population projected to reach 190 million by 2030, there is an urgent need to expand skill-based programs that prepare girls for the modern workforce, more so, as nearly 74 per cent of Nigerian young adults currently lack the skills necessary for gainful employment,” he said.

The rector, YABATECH, Dr Engr Ibraheem Abdul, encouraged the beneficiaries to see themselves as more than trainees but self-reliant and ready to make money.