The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has said its collaboration with VFS Global to train 100 young Nigerians in artificial intelligence (AI) is part of a long-term strategy to combat unemployment by equipping young people with market-ready digital skills and supporting them to become entrepreneurs rather than job seekers.

Speaking at the graduation and prize-giving ceremony for participants of the four-week NECA-VFS Global Computer Vision Lab training programme in Lagos, the Director-General of NECA, Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde described the initiative as “a direct hit on unemployment,” saying the beneficiaries had acquired practical skills capable of creating businesses and jobs.

According to him, the training forms part of NECA’s employability project, which focuses on equipping young Nigerians with relevant skills required by today’s labour market.

“Our quest to promote employability is part of our employability project of equipping young Nigerians with relevant market-ready skills. Beyond what we are doing with the Industrial Training Fund under the Technical Skills Development Project, one of our member companies, VFS Global, partnered with us to train 100 young Nigerians in artificial intelligence,” he said.

The NECA boss said the participants developed several practical AI solutions during the four-week programme, including applications for passport identification, passport photograph verification for visa processing and vehicle number-plate recognition for security and estate management.

He disclosed that the projects would be further refined before being presented to stakeholders and potential investors at the Technical Skills Development Project stakeholders’ engagement in Abuja later this year.

“The products are market-ready. The idea is that they shouldn’t leave here and go back to the job market. What they have learnt should enable them to start something of their own,” he said.

He added that, besides the technical training, the participants received stipends and laptop computers to help them continue developing their innovations after graduation.

“We have positioned them not only to be entrepreneurs but also to be employers of labour. Our goal is to effectively tackle the challenge of unemployment in this country,” he added.

Describing the programme as the first AI partnership between NECA and VFS Global, the Director-General said the company had already committed to supporting another batch of trainees next year.

He also announced that another phase of the NECA-Industrial Training Fund Technical Skills Development Project, to be implemented through the NECA ICT) Academy, would commence next week as part of sustained efforts to strengthen technical and vocational skills among Nigerian youths.

Chairman of Ikeja Local Government, Akeem Dauda, who attended the ceremony as a partner and stakeholder, said initiatives that expose young people to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence are essential to addressing unemployment and youth restiveness.

He noted that the local government had partnered with NECA for nearly a year and had some of its beneficiaries among the graduating participants.

“We know the challenge. We have many young people on the streets, and one of the ways to bring them off the streets is to engage them through AI and programmes like this,” he said.

Dauda commended VFS Global for supporting the initiative and urged more organisations to invest in youth development through similar partnerships.

He disclosed that Ikeja Local Government had enrolled more than 50 students in NECA’s holiday job programme and would engage another batch during the forthcoming long vacation with stipends, while also operating a vocational training centre with over 50 trainees.

The graduation ceremony featured the presentation of certificates and prizes to outstanding participants who distinguished themselves during the intensive four-week Computer Vision Lab training programme.

Among them was the overall winner, Samuel Lawuyi, who walked away with the grand prize of N500,000.