Blakskill Limited, in partnership with Sightsavers and Digital Bridge Institute, has initiated a nationwide movement to promote diversity, equity, and the inclusion of skilled persons with disabilities (PWDs) in meaningful job opportunities in Northern Nigeria.
   
In a statement, the organisations noted that they hosted the Inclusion Career Fair in Kano State, which had over 100 Cisco-certified professionals trained under Sightsavers’ ICT Bridge Academy in attendance. The trainees, they added, engaged directly with employers across sectors such as technology, manufacturing, development and financial services.
   
The Chief Executive Officer of Blakskill, Michael Alasa, restated the organisation’s commitment to building inclusive talent pipelines that reflect the richness of the country’s human capital.
   
He said, “Kano represents a powerful opportunity to deepen the inclusion conversation in regions with limited access. At Blakskill, we believe talent has no disability, only barriers. The fair is about removing those barriers and creating real pathways for highly skilled professionals with disabilities to thrive in the workplace.”

The event featured a high-level panel discussion on the theme, ‘Inclusion at Work: Creating Opportunities for Talents with Disabilities’, with contributions from policy leaders, advocates and inclusive employers. 
   
Participating companies also conducted on-the-spot interviews, talent profiling and curriculum vitae (CV) reviews, furthering the goal of real-time job placements.
   
Project Officer at Sightsavers Nigeria, David Okorafor, highlighted the importance of development partnerships in scaling the impact of inclusive employment.
   
“Our work does not end with training; it is about creating systems that recognise and reward the potential of all individuals, especially persons with disabilities. What we are doing here in Kano is planting a seed, one that we hope will grow into a stronger, more inclusive economy in the North and beyond,” he stated.