…Begins Five-Year Youth Empowerment Journey

A vision conceived more than five years ago has become a reality with the launch of Project Centum, a five-year youth empowerment initiative, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The South-West pilot was launched at Discovery Empowerment House, 13 Odusola Avenue, Ebenezer Street, Obantoko, Abeokuta, with the first three trainees, their parents, trainers and project partners in attendance.

Founded by Wale Fakile, founder of Rach. Gabriels Fashion Company, and overseen by Propagar Media Limited, Project Centum aims to train and empower 100 young Nigerians every year through vocational skills, entrepreneurship, digital literacy, mentorship and access to markets.
The initiative begins with shoemaking through the Rach. Gabriels production system. Its wider model is designed to be adopted across other vocational sectors, including fashion, woodwork and other skilled trades.

The six-month programme combines practical training with business and digital skills, mentorship and market access. Upon concluding the program, trainees will also be introduced to collective purchasing structures to improve access to production materials and reduce costs.

The first cohort marks the beginning of a five-year plan to directly impact 500 young Nigerians across the country.

Project Centum is structured around regional partnerships: Tobby Emmanuel Foundation in the South-West, SiediHub in the South-East, Hope Interactive in the North and Value360 Empowerment Initiative in the South-South, with Propagar providing central oversight.

For Wale Fakile, the launch represents the culmination of a vision that has survived years of uncertainty.

“We dreamt. We faltered. We dreamt again. And we are here. Project Centum started more than five years ago as an idea I scribbled on a notepad. There were times I wondered if it would ever happen. So seeing our first three trainees begin this journey today is deeply personal for me.”

He added: “We are starting with three, but I don’t see three. I see the 500 young people we want to empower over the next five years. I see the businesses they can build, the people they can employ and the lives that can change when young people are given the skills and opportunity to build for themselves.”

According to Fakile, shoemaking is only the beginning of a much larger vision.

“Shoemaking is our starting point, not our destination. The bigger vision is to create a model that connects vocational training with mentorship, digital skills, markets and access to resources and then make that model available to other industries and communities.”

Project Manager, Stephanie Nneoma Nwache, who has led the development and implementation of the initiative, said the launch was a testament to what happens when a vision is matched with commitment and execution.

“A vision can live on paper for years, but at some point someone has to decide to build it. Project Centum became real because we kept moving developing the structure, bringing the right people together and finding a way to make the first cohort happen. Today, we have three young people starting a six-month journey, and that is a powerful beginning.”

She added: “Our responsibility now is to make sure these trainees don’t leave with just a certificate. They should leave with a skill, the confidence to use it, the knowledge to build a business and the connections to find a market for what they produce.”

Founder of the Tobby Emmanuel Foundation, Tobby Emmanuel, said the partnership reflects a shared commitment to practical and sustainable empowerment.

“Empowerment has to go beyond giving people something today. It should give them the capacity to create value for themselves tomorrow. Project Centum gives us an opportunity to do that by combining practical skills with business knowledge, mentorship and access to opportunity.”

He added: “We are proud to provide the infrastructure for this first cohort. We are pleased to be part of the first step of what we believe can become a much bigger national story.”

Project Centum will begin with its South-West pilot and progressively expand its reach, with the ambition of training 100 young people annually for five years.