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Int’l Youth Day: We Are Facilitating Provision Of Industry-Relevant Skills To Young People In Lagos – Adamu Garba, Executive Director, DDI
A development expert and Executive Director of Diamond Development Initiatives, Mr Adamu Garba, has said that the organization is currently facilitating the provision of globally competitive and sought-after skills to young people in Lagos State to enable them actualize their dreams and contribute to the development of the country. Tagged: ‘USADF-LSETF Employability Program’, Mr Garba noted that the project was a collaboration between the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) and the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), aimed at providing industry- and trade-relevant skills to 15,000 youth in Lagos State over the next five years – equipping them to take advantage of employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
Mr Garba made this statement ahead of the occasion of the commemoration of the 2020 edition of International Youth Day, marked annually on August 12, by the United Nations and its sister organizations.
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“For us at DDI, every day is the Day of Youth.This year’s theme is ‘Youth Engagement for Global Action’ and as a Non-for-Profit that is paying attention to, and contributing its quota towards the attainment of the 2030 agenda of a global commitment to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development by 2030, we are concerned by the urgent need of having economically empowered youth who are not afraid of their voices to be heard; who are not intimidated to be engaged for positive global action,”Mr Garba hinted. He added that as an organization that complements the role of development agencies, donors and other funding organizations by providing technical assistance in the design, planning and implementation of various development initiatives, the NGO – DDI is currently facilitating the engagement of Training Centres to provide in-demand skills to over 210 youth in Lagos State.
“Though the program was not designed for a pandemic era, we are fully complying with physical distancing guidelines, hence piloting digital classrooms for the first cohort of the exercise, to ensure that target beneficiaries are not denied of the intended project gains,” noted Mr Garba
Mr Garba remarked that for the pilot edition, 33 trainers were currently being supported to provide“industry-relevant and in-demand technology-oriented skills” like Cyber Security, Virtualization, 2D/3D Design, Cloud Computing, Software Engineering, Interior Design, etc. to the 210 young trainees comprised of 45 per cent females and 55 per cent males. He added that about 50 percent of all beneficiaries of the programme would be placed in paid employment or internship – in collaboration with industry players.
Mr Garba who has led the NGO since its inception in 2002 also expressed gratitude to, and confidence in this collaborative response to the need to promote small enterprise development in under served communities, drive community benefits through social enterprises, and establish sustainable development models, especially as they relate to young people, describing it as“a welcome development,” especially as participants would be equipped not only to be resilient in a pandemic but to also bounce back better – post-COVID-19.
According to the UN, August 12 was endorsed in 1999 as the International Day of Youth – a day that “gives an opportunity to celebrate and mainstream young peoples’ voices, actions and initiatives, as well as their meaningful, universal and equitable engagement.”
For more about Diamond Development Initiatives (DDI), kindly visit: www.ddinigeria.org. Our social platforms are as follows: Facebook/Instagram/Twitter: @DDINigeria
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