This initiative is designed to position Nigerian youths to benefit from trade opportunities the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) offers.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony held in Abuja recently, Elsie Attafuah, UNDP Resident Representative for Nigeria, said the initiative is designed to capitalise on the AfCFTA’s potential to drive economic growth through intra-African trade, with a focus on empowering individuals and women by providing them with access to opportunities, markets, knowledge, and essential resources such as information, networks, and financing.
Attafuah lamented that intra-African trade remains dismally low, accounting for only 16.6 per cent of the continent’s total trade, despite having a population of 1.4 billion. Furthermore, she noted that Nigeria, the continent’s largest economy, participates in a mere 10 per cent of this trade, highlighting substantial room for growth.
To address this challenge, Attafuah stressed the need to connect individuals, particularly women, to opportunities, markets, and knowledge.
She mentioned that there are initiatives that can link women to essential information, networks, and financing, aiming to ensure that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) serves as a practical tool for inclusive development.
Addressing the graduates, Chinwe Ezenwa, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Lelook Bags Academy, emphasised the significance of discipline, continuous learning, and innovation, exhorting them to view their acquired skills as instruments to break cycles of poverty, build generational wealth and create lasting impact.
Ezenwa urged the graduates to be proactive in building opportunities and leading change, emphasising that Africa’s development in trade would be significantly driven by women.
A former Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen praised LeLook Bags for its impactful training of 100 youths in bag manufacturing, highlighting the international competitiveness of their products.
She emphasized the importance of such initiatives in providing sustainable livelihoods for young Nigerians and encouraged the public to support locally made products like LeLook bags, which rival international brands in quality and design.
Chinwe Ezenwa’s efforts also received accolades from Dr Asabe Bashir, Director-General of the Mariam Babangida National Centre for Women Development, who commended LeLook Bags for its innovative approach to skills development and entrepreneurship.
She stated that there are plans for collaboration with the Academy to enhance vocational training programs in Nigeria, emphasizing their potential to uplift individuals and contribute significantly to the country’s economic growth. By fostering self-reliance and entrepreneurship among women and youths, such initiatives are vital in driving economic development and reducing unemployment.
She noted that these endorsements underscore the critical role of skill acquisition and local manufacturing in driving economic development and reducing unemployment in Nigeria.
Mr Desmond Toover, one of the graduating students representing the graduating class, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the UNDP and LeLook Bags for their invaluable support and opportunity, saying, “We are more than just a graduating class. We are a collective force, each bringing unique talents and perspectives that, when combined, can create extraordinary outcomes.”
