To close the deep-rooted skills gap crippling opportunities for
Nigerian girls, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) under its Generation
Unlimited (GenU) initiative has pledged unwavering commitment to collaborating
with the Girls Education and Skills Partnership (GESP), and other stakeholders.
This bold declaration came on Wednesday, at
the Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech), where Muhammad Okorie, UNICEF’s
Social Policy Manager, announced the organisation’s resolve to tackle the
barriers limiting girls from acquiring market-relevant skills.
Speaking during the presentation of startup
toolkits to 200 girls who had completed training in GSM and computer repairs,
Okorie stated that UNICEF will not relent until the deficiency is reduced to
the barest minimum.
The toolkits signalled a strategic
intervention designed to propel girls into the labour market with practical,
income-generating skills.
According to him, the skills deficiency in
Nigeria has impacted labour market outcomes, especially for adolescent girls
and young women and there's need to change the narrative.
"The female labour force participation rate is as low as 52.2 % and 18.9% of female youth are not in employment, education or training and many are uneducated and unskilled. Unemployed youths are significantly less likely to nurture wellbeing and healthy prosperous families and are more likely to engage in risky behaviours and that's why we must continue to encourage skill acquisition for the girl child.
Okorie noted that the UK- funded GESP
programme is a catalyst in changing
the landscape of youth skills development in Nigeria through public - private
partnership noting that the innovations and technologies brought by global and
national private partners including Standard Chartered Bank and Unilever
have created new opportunities for marginalized girls and women in
Nigeria to develop skills on demand.
He described Yaba College of Technology as
a partner of choice for driving skills development in the country, providing
thousands of girls and young women with an opportunity to develop market -
oriented skills for employment and entrepreneurship which UNICEF is
championing.
In a
keynote address, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, Wife of Lagos State Governor, said the
initiative was a laudable step toward nurturing a productive future for girls
as they would begin to apply their newly-acquired skills in everyday life.
She was
represented by Abimbola Odunmbaku, Wife of the Chairman of Ojodu Local Council
Development Area of Lagos State.
Sanwo-Olu
lauded Yabatech, UNICEF and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
(FCDO) for the programme, which she described as impactful.
“This collaboration reflects a strong commitment to empowering girls, while promoting, protecting and preserving their rights and overall wellbeing.
“Yabatech
and its development partners have remained shining examples in fostering youth
development.
“Their
dedication to building the capacity of young people and supporting communities
deserves our collective applause.
“When we
come together to nurture and empower our youths, the task of nation-building
becomes far less daunting,” she added.
Sanwo-Olu
said that education would help young women to realise their full potential and
make informed and independent decisions.
She
described the training as an empowerment tool, which the beneficiaries would
use to take control of their lives, uplift their families, and positively
impact their communities.
“As
stakeholders, we must intensify our advocacy for a holistic approach to
education, one that not only prepares our children to excel academically but
also equips them to be financially independent, emotionally resilient and
socially relevant.
She urged
the girls to cultivate the right attitudes and pursue excellence, adding that
they should allow integrity and hard work to define their journeys.
The
Governor’s wife assured that the state government would continue to formulate
policies and programmes that would create an enabling, inclusive and safe
environment for youths to thrive.
In his remarks, the Rector of Yabatech, Dr
Ibraheem Abdul, expressed gratitude to UNICEF and other partners for support
and collaboration.
He said that the distribution of the
startup toolkits was a major stride in making the beneficiaries to move from
learning to earning.
Abdul said the initiative showed the power
of partnership in transforming lives.
“We remain at the forefront of technical
education, innovation and community impact through the GESP.
“We are aligning with our strategic vision
to equip our youths particularly young women with demand-driven skills to
position them competitively in the labour market and as change agents within
their communities.
We remain deeply committed to initiatives
that bridge the gender gap in STEM, digital innovation and skilled trades,” he
added.
Speaking,
Dr Funmilayo Doherty, GESP Project Coordinator at Yabatech, said that the
toolkits included 50 laptops to the best-performing girls in web application
development and 50 laptops to those in mobile application development.
Doherty
said that 50 laptops were also distributed to those trained in computer
hardware maintenance and repair, while learners in GSM and mobile phone repair
also got 50 toolkits at the event.
“These
young girls have not only completed their training in record time but have also
demonstrated commitment, growth and resilience.
“Their work
has stood out, their confidence has soared, their potential is clear.
“The
startup toolkits is one of the most practical and meaningful ways to support
their journey into the world of work and enterprise,” she added.
She noted
that the initiative was launched in 2024 with the vision to empower 5,250 young
women with relevant, quality, gender-responsive technical and digital skills,
and ultimately connect them to better livelihoods in the informal and
communication technology sector.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries,
Miss, Faith Joseph who was full of praises for the imitators of the programme said she
was short of words to describe her feelings at not only becoming a technician
but having tools to do her work.
She
called on other girls to embrace the program in order to become useful
citizens of the country.
Highlights of the event was presentation of
complete Computer repair and maintenance kits and complete GSM repair kits to
the beneficiaries who have completed intensive training on the use of the
tools.
The beneficiaries were drawn from Yabatech,
while others came from secondary schools in the area and some locals.
