Etisalat Empowers Nigerian Youth with Entrepreneurial Skills through Its Community Skills Set Initiative

Nigeria’s youth unemployment rate is put at 38% according to a recent World Bank statistics. However, there are arguments that the figure realistically is 80% with Secondary School leavers and unemployed rural population accounting for about half of this figure while University and Polytechnic graduates make up the rest.

Seeing this gap, Etisalat Nigeria partnered with E.O. Bella Resources to empower over 100 individuals with basic life skills to help them maximize their potentials through the establishment of start-ups.

Those that benefitted from the programme were pulled from six communities across four states in the South-East and South-South regions. They include; Oromeruezimgbu, Rumuokuta and Awalama Communities in Rivers State, Yenizuegene Community in Bayelsa State, Usogun community in Auchi, Edo State and Uburu community in Ebonyi state.

Head, Government and Community Relations, Mohammed Suleh-Yusuf said the Etisalat Community Skills Set Programme is tailored towards creating entrepreneurs and setting up community-based enterprises in the beneficiary states.

“We are complementing the vision of the respective states to empower their youth to become self-reliant and socially responsible entrepreneurs who will in turn set up community-based enterprises,” he said

Amaka Amadi from Rumuokuta community in Rivers State spoke about the impacts of the initiative on her. “I believe in creating useful things with my hands and not carrying my certificates about looking for someone to employ me. I have been trained in soap and floor cleaner making, and I will do more research on soap and cream making. I have been given some useful tips which I want to build on, and I am really grateful for that”.

Etisalat Nigeria is continually seeking ways to better the lives of Nigerians. They have demonstrated this through a number of community projects such as; Community School Support, Free Eye Cataract Surgeries, Empowerment of Women and many more.

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