Young Africa International, an international organization headquartered in Zimbabwe, is expanding its impact in Nigeria through a four-year vocational training project in partnership with Mastercard Foundation. This initiative aims to equip 2,500 young people aged 18 to 35 across various communities with vocational skills. Beneficiaries will undergo six months of training in their identified vocation and receive support to either secure employment or start their businesses.
As part of its expansion plan, Young Africa International is working with like-minded partners, including Don Bosco Provincial Development Orgarnism, an organization that has long been committed to helping young, vulnerable people. Through Don Bosco’s Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) centres, where vocational training is already available, this partnership will ensure that more young people, especially those in underserved areas, gain access to life-changing skills.
An orientation program is currently taking place in the Provincial House in Iju to onboard key stakeholders from Don Bosco TVET centers in Abuja, Ondo, Anambra, and Lagos. The program introduces participants to the mobile training model, the tools required for its implementation, and strategies for rolling it out in their respective communities.
Speaking with Art43 Media, Mr. Wellington Chechechere, a representative of Young Africa International, shared that the three-day orientation training, which began on Monday, April 7, and ends on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, has given participants deeper insight into the mobile training system and its implementation. He expressed optimism about the project’s success, noting that Young Africa International and the Don Bosco team share similar goals of uplifting the young and vulnerable.
According to Adedotun Esan, the project coordinator in Nigeria, once this onboarding process is completed, participants will return to their centers, identify young vulnerable people within their communities, and begin training them in skills that have been identified through market needs assessments and feasibility studies. She emphasized that the goal is to bring training as close as possible to those who need it, removing the challenge of traveling long distances. She also commended the Don Bosco team for their hospitality and dedication to empowering young people, expressing excitement about the many lives that will be transformed through this partnership.
Oluwatomisin Esther, speaking on behalf of Don Bosco Institute of Technology, Ondo, shared her excitement about being part of this outreach, which is targeted at empowering vulnerable youth across different communities. She is particularly pleased that the mobile training project will make vocational education accessible to those who need it most. She is optimistic that by the end of the four-year project, the target to equip 2,500 young people with at least one skill that will enable them to become entrepreneurs or secure gainful employment would have been attained. The onboarding process has been insightful for her, and she is looking forward to the successful implementation of this initiative and the impact it will have on young people in Nigeria.
As this training phase concludes, all stakeholders remain committed to ensuring the successful execution of this initiative, which will pave the way for a brighter future for young people in Nigeria.