As part of efforts to empower young girls and women in Nigeria, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and Generation Unlimited (GenU), have partnered with Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) to implement the Girls’ Education and Skills Partnership (GESP) programme.

The GESP programme is aimed at equipping young women with the skills and knowledge needed to transition from learning to earning. The programme focuses on four key areas: Web Application Development, Mobile Application Development, Computer Hardware Maintenance and Repair, as well as GSM and Mobile Phone Repairs.

The organisations provided part of the GESP funds to the institution to implement the project. It aims to empower one million young girls and women between the ages of 13 to 24, with high quality, and market relevant skills to enable them become employable and entrepreneurial.

A team from UNICEF and FCDO recently visited YABATECH and Computer Village, Ikeja, for an on-the-spot-assessment of the scheme, where they witnessed the impact of the programme firsthand.

The team interacted with the trainees, who shared their experiences and the skills they have acquired through the programme. The team also visited Computer Village in Ikeja, where some of the trainees are receiving practical training in Computer Hardware Maintenance and Repair; as well as GSM and Mobile Phone Repairs.

The visit provided an opportunity for the team to see the hands-on training and interact with the trainees and instructors. Urmila Sarkar, Principal Adviser, Generation Unlimited (GenU) Secretariat, New York, emphasised the importance of addressing the specific barriers faced by young women in Nigeria.

She noted that for the country to make meaningful progress, young women must be given the opportunity to develop skills and pursue their livelihoods.

She lamented that in countries like Nigeria, young women often lack access to digital opportunities, emphasising the urgent need by adolescent girls to acquire skills that would help them in earning a living.

Sarkar disclosed that GenU works to connect young people with skills and opportunities they need,

“Youth unemployment and skills gap are among the greatest challenges of our time, and they are critical to global socio-economic development. She lamented that barriers such as limited access to education, community restrictions, and lack of information prevent young women from pursuing opportunities.

Sarkar tasked UNICEF and other partners to step up measures of breaking down these barriers and ensure that young women have equal access to opportunities.

While justifying their choice of only girls for the GESP scheme, Sarka noted that based on available statistics, girls face more obstacles than boys in terms of education, digital access, and skills development.

The disparity, she noted, is reflected in the labour market, making it even more crucial to level the playing field for both genders,” she added. In the same vein, Phoebe Hill, the Team Leader for Higher Education and Skills, at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), restated the UK’s government’s commitment to support girls’ education and skills development in Nigeria.

“We fund many projects aimed at improving girls’ education and addressing areas where they are underrepresented. For example, we support initiatives like the YABATECH project through UNICEF.

“We are impressed with the progress made so far and look forward to seeing further developments when UNICEF returns in the next three months to assess the project’s impact,” she stated.

The partnership between UNICEF, FCDO, and YABATECH demonstrates the collective commitment to empower young women in Nigeria and promote their socio-economic development.

By providing training and mentorship opportunities, the GESP programme would assist in equipping young women with skills and confidence needed to thrive in their chosen careers.The Rector, Dr. Abdul Ibraheem, highlighted the importance of empowering young women in Nigeria.

“We believe that empowering young women is critical to driving socio-economic change in Nigeria. We are proud to be part of this initiative and look forward to continuing our partnership with UNICEF and FCDO.”

He also expressed optimism about expanding the project to include skills beyond Information and Communication Technology (ICT), highlighting the importance of gender-responsive pedagogy in training young women.