Get Guardian on GoogleThe American Corner, Ibadan, in collaboration with the Social Media Managers Circle (SMMC) and the United States Mission in Nigeria, has trained 55 young people in artificial intelligence (AI), content creation, and social media management to equip them with skills for employment, entrepreneurship and income generation.
The five-day free bootcamp also featured the Initiative for Information Arts and Culture Development in Nigeria as a partner.
The training was designed to move participants from casual social media use to strategic digital communication, with sessions covering AI-powered content planning and copywriting, video production for Instagram Reels and TikTok, social media strategy, audience engagement, analytics and portfolio development.
The programme ended with group capstone presentations assessed by external evaluators.
Speaking at the event, the Director of American Corner, Ibadan, Karamat Ajala, said the initiative was designed in response to the growing influence of AI and the need for young people to adapt to changing demands in the digital economy.
She said content creation had evolved beyond simply publishing posts, stressing that effective digital communication required strategic planning, creativity and the application of AI tools.
“The content we put out must evolve. It is no longer enough to simply post; we must communicate strategically and tell our stories in a way that engages and inspires,” she said.
Ajala described content creation as an important profession rather than a side job, adding that young people could earn a living as content creators, virtual assistants and social media managers.
She said the training also exposed participants to audience engagement, strategies for increasing online visibility, content monetisation and opportunities to provide digital services to businesses, organisations and public institutions.
Ajala cited the experience of a previous beneficiary who secured a social media management role with a political organisation after acquiring relevant skills through an earlier training programme.
She thanked the United States Mission in Nigeria for supporting the initiative and providing opportunities for young people in Ibadan and beyond.
In the same vein, co-founder of SMMC, Wisdom Saviour, said the initiative was established to introduce young people to AI and demonstrate how the technology could be integrated into social media management.
Saviour, who has about eight years’ experience in marketing and works as a senior account manager at All Seasons Zenith, Lagos, said the partnership with American Corner had enabled the organisers to offer the training free of charge.
He urged participants to embrace continuous learning, noting that the rapid pace of technological advancement required digital professionals to keep updating their skills.
The Programme Director of SMMC, Adetoun Raji-Kolade, said the Ibadan edition was the eighth bootcamp organised by the group and the fourth held in the city.
She said similar programmes had been organised in Lagos and Abeokuta, with support from American Corner, Ibadan, and American Window, Abeokuta.
Raji-Kolade, who disclosed that she was a beneficiary of the programme in 2022 while serving as a corps member in Ibadan, said the experience opened professional opportunities for her and eventually led to her involvement in organising subsequent editions.
She said SMMC was committed to helping aspiring professionals enter the marketing and communications industry while equipping existing practitioners to improve their skills.
