*Hosts ‘made in Nigeria art exhibition’
*Provided 140, 000 jobs in intensified migration campaign
As part of renewed effort to support unemployed, underemployed of youth and returning migrants with employment opportunities , the Nigeria German Centre for Jobs Migration and Reintegration , (NGC), in partnership with Artsier Studios , Abuja, has organized a Two-Day ‘made in Nigeria’ art exhibition to harness opportunities in the creative sector.
Speaking during the event at the Discovery Museum, Abuja yesterday, Team Lead, Programme Migration for Development, (PME), of the German government, Sandra Vermuijten, said the exhibition features ten young Nigerian artists that participated in a made in Nigeria art competition and master class organized by the NGC.
She explained that the NGC projects aims to “Support unemployed and underemployed youths and returning migrants with employment opportunities and economic and social reintegration through three job centers and working in close collaboration with the migrants’ resource center of Nigeria.
“We provide a wide variety of support services for people to get into jobs and the creative sector is an important generator of employment in Nigeria, that’s one part of the story. The other part of the story is that we believe that there is a need for innovative creative language around topics of employment and migration and this type of exhibition also contributes to that.
“What we do is also to raise awareness around the risks of irregular migration and the impact of migration. It’s about creating another narrative around migration because we are always looking for new ways to touch people with the message, to campaign basically so this artworks exhibition is to contribute to that.”
Vermuijten adds that “For the young artists that participated in the master class, we support them with working tools, two weeks master class with experts in their sector and an exhibition to show their work to the public hoping that this will propel them and support them in the further development of their career .
According to her, this is the fourth edition of the initiative and artists that have participated in earlier editions are able to also participate in big exhibition projects. The select process is online with an Instagram hashtag made in Nigeria art from 2021 until now and so far, about 90 artists participating: in Lagos 30, in Abuja 20, n Benin last year 30 and the current edition featuring 10 artists. All participants are also given free startup tools and access to business through networking.
She said the NGC is a partnership between Nigeria and the German Government under the Programme Migration for Development by the Germen Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and implemented by the Deutsche Gessellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit, GmbH, (GIZ).
Permanent Secretary, federal Ministry of labour and employment Kachollom Daju said that there is huge unemployment among Nigerian youths and the collaboration with the German government through the NGC has so far created 200 employment opportunities through skill development such as the art exhibition among others.
Represented by the Director, Employment and Wages, John Nyamali, Daju said “We are all aware that there are no white collar jobs any longer so we are trying to find other employment opportunities avenue for job creation through building the skills of our youth instead them going about looking for white collar jobs.
“We have provided lobs to 140, 000 Nigerian youths through this partnership in other areas like fashion, catering, ICT, fisheries and so many others that we are collaborating with GIZ to do in order to enhance employment amongst our youth,” she said.
In Nigeria, the PME programme has established a structure for migration and reintegration advice, the Nigerian-German Center for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration (NGC). NGC provides support and one -to-one advice on employment, business, vocational and educational perspectives in Nigeria.
Andrew Alhamdu, one of the participating artist said that as a young artists, “The art master class was a wow experience for me. the atmosphere was highly creative and conducive. One of the things that stood out for me was the opportunity to connect with fellow highly creative artists, there was this mutual fertilization amongst us despite the distinct differences in our styles.”
Alhamdu’s figurative paintings reverberates an echo of life’s issues shaped by the African experience seen in the moods and looks of objects, he says.
