Kafawa trains young Nigerians in leather making

To drive the growth of the leather sector, the Kafawa Training Programme, a partnership between My World of Bags, a bag design and corporate accessories brand, and the Mastercard Foundation, has formally graduated its first set of trained leather industry artisans, entrepreneurs, craftsmen and craftswomen.

The programme aimed to train young Nigerians in leather and non-leather manufacturing work was launched in October 2021.

It was learnt that the vision of the programme that has enrolled over 400 young women and men through in-person and virtual sessions is to change the narrative around production, tailoring and manufacturing jobs, with most of the graduates starting their own businesses or joining the workforce.

At the graduation ceremony, the Creative Director, FemiHandbags, Femi Olayebi, said: “Through initiatives like this, the brand has sought out ways to level the playing field and improve access for Nigerian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) operating in the leather space. The goal for Kafawa is to drive the growth of the leather sector and improve youth unemployment rates.

“We are encouraged by the enormous potential that exists across Nigeria’s youth group and we are excited to be creating channels that will tap into that potential. Through Kafawa, hundreds of young dreamers have started defining their goals and taking control of their future.”

The MSME Finance Lead for Mastercard Foundation, Chioma Nwagboso, said: “In Nigeria, Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy seeks to enable access to dignified work for 10 million youth by 2030 – with a 70 per cent focus on women – across the agricultural and adjacent sector, the creative industry, and through digital interventions. So we are confident that the Kafawa graduates will use their newly-acquired technical and soft skills to reach their full potential.”