The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), with support from the British Council and King’s Trust International, has concluded an eight-week employability and entrepreneurship training for 70 young participants in Kano.
The program, titled the “Youth Sustainable Enterprise Challenge,” focused on equipping participants with digital, entrepreneurial, and soft skills to prepare them for the business and labor market.
At the closing ceremony in Kano, CITAD’s Executive Director, Engr. Y.Z. Ya’u, represented by Haruna Adamu Hadeja, the Community Network Coordinator, said, “Participants have gone through a series of training sessions and presented business pitches to showcase the initiatives they developed during the program. These efforts were designed to help them leverage ICT tools for business development.”
He added that the program addressed challenges faced by young entrepreneurs, including technophobia and limited ICT knowledge, and that participants would receive seed funding to implement their ideas.
Isa Garba, Senior Program Officer at CITAD and Manager of the Youth Sustainable Enterprise Challenge, commended the participants’ dedication.
“This program provided an opportunity for young entrepreneurs to hone their business ideas while building connections necessary for success. Additionally, eight participants with the best business ideas will receive N250,000 each as seed funding to kick-start or support their ventures,” he stated.
The program emphasized skills like resource mobilization and online marketing, alongside foundational ICT training, as essential tools for business growth. Garba also mentioned plans for an impact assessment to monitor the beneficiaries’ progress and ensure sustainability in their ventures.
Out of 70 participants who submitted diverse business pitches, eight outstanding proposals were selected. The beneficiaries include Haruna Ibrahim, Zainab Abideen, Khadijah Muhammad, Muhammad Bulama, Ummi A. Muhammad, Zahra’u Danlami, Hafsat Nasidi, and Saudat Bello.
“This program has not only given me practical skills but also the confidence to start my own business,” said one of the winners, Zainab Abideen. “The support from CITAD, the British Council, and King’s Trust International is a game-changer for youth like me.”
As the nation continues to face youth unemployment, programs like the Youth Sustainable Enterprise Challenge aim to empower young Nigerians to take charge of their futures.
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