French companies, Edo State, others partner to empower 3,000 youths in creative industries

Four French companies, Edo State Skills Development Agency (EdoJobs) and a media firm, Wazobia, have partnered to train 3000 young people in the creative industries in Nigeria.

The French companies; LAFAAAC, SUMMVIEW, Teach on Mars and WebForce3 in conjunction with EdoJobs and the media firm partnered to launch Edojobs Online Academy in empowering over 3000 job seekers in Edo State with the required expertise and skills to boost local entrepreneurship and self-dependency in growing the creative industry.

The academy, which is partly funded by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, aims to serve as a catalyst in boosting the employability of young Nigerians, whilst also upgrading them with the skills and trainings to excel and raise the standards of the creative industry in Nigeria and Africa.

Speaking on the Project, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LAFAAAC, Olivier Pascal, said: “This project allows us to validate a key milestone in our development on the African continent. On the upstream, it allows us to federate the dynamic forces that are today united around this platform, in France as well as in Nigeria, in the public and private sectors.

“On the downstream, the platform allows us to deploy our educational model on a large scale, evaluate its social impact, and also promote French expertise and have a knock-on effect on the EdTech and culture sectors. We look forward to working with EdoJobs to make this platform a real catalyst and accelerator for their projects and ours.”

CEO of Wazobia, Tatiana Moussali, said: “It is imperative for leadership in times of crisis to always provide ingenious solutions that provide succour to the people in times of need. The partnership with Edo State Government is one driven by the commitment of the Wazobia Media Group in joining forces with the government to reducing unemployment, improving self-dependency, and fighting the scourge of modern slavery faced by most of the vulnerable members of the society whose only hope lies on the sojourn abroad for a better life. Edo State has a lot of young and budding talents that require the right guidance and mentorship to channel their energy into productive use in the state.

Through the Edojobs Online Academy, we hope to empower these youths with the skillsets that would make them see value in their talents and in return contribute to the development of the creative industry in their community and Nigeria at large.”

According to Managing Director of EdoJobs, Ukinebo Dare, “We are glad to be partnering to kick-off this ground-breaking project in Nigeria, starting with Edo State. We say thank you to the French Government and all sponsors. As a home of rich culture in Africa, this project will enable job creation for our young creatives.”