To tackle increasing need for youth empowerment and professional capacity building, the Women in Corporate Consulting in Nigeria (WICN) has launched the Next-Gen Consult Project, a pan-African initiative designed to train and mentor young women.
Founder and Chairperson of WICN, Sylvia Chomo, while speaking at the unveiling ceremony which held recently in Abuja, described the project as a deeply personal mission born out of her own life struggles and the desire to create the type of professional support system she once lacked.
Chomo said that the Next-Gen project seeks to equip 10,000 young women with practical consulting, innovation, and leadership skills to help them navigate emerging industries.
She said “This dream has lingered within me for a long time, and I didn’t know how I could make it a reality. It is based on what I have gone through.”
The WICN founder expressed gratitude to the Institute of Training and Development, particularly acknowledging its President, Bulus James, for providing the platform and courage to achieve the milestone.
Noting that rapid global changes driven by artificial intelligence and emerging industries require more than mere opportunities, she emphasised the critical need for hands-on mentorship.
“Young people need knowledge. They need mentors. They need practical guidance. They need people who believe in them until they begin to believe in themselves,” she said.
Chomo further explained that the organisation’s core mission is to train, mentor, and monitor young African women, supporting them through their growth journey until they become confident problem solvers, business owners, and transformational leaders.
Highlighting the project’s projected economic impact, she added, “Imagine 10,000 young women equipped with the right skills. Imagine thousands of successful consulting businesses emerging across Africa, and tens of thousands of new jobs being created because one woman was given the opportunity to succeed.”
She urged partners and donors to join the movement, noting that empowering a single woman strengthens families, uplifts communities, and contributes significantly to national development.
Earlier, Legal Consult for WICN, Barrister Nnedimma Irene, reflected on the project’s seven-year journey from a concept born out of “pain, struggle, and hope” to a living reality.
She announced that participants would undergo a two-day transformative learning programme built on proven consulting frameworks, focusing on leadership, sustainable business management, and taking charge of the future.
“We believe that professional development is not a luxury, it is the bridge between potential and prosperity. Our mission is to help build that bridge for our nation and for Africa,” Irene declared.
Also speaking, the President of the Nigerian Institute of Training and Development (NITAD), Bulus James, pledged the institute’s full solidarity with the project, describing it as a massive leap in cultivating Africa’s elite corporate minds.
James noted that the initiative would actively close capability and gender parity gaps by equipping emerging female consultants with premium strategic tools.
According to him, “Investing in this project is not an act of charity, it is a sound economic strategy that de-risks the future of corporate Africa.”
