By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
The Tech4Youth initiative
under the Digital Transformation Center (DTC) Nigeria programme is working to
strengthen the link between ICT skills development and sustainable youth
employment through stakeholder engagements across Nigeria.
The initiative convened
stakeholders in Kano, Edo, Enugu, Lagos and Abuja to identify system-level
interventions needed to better align the skills young people acquire with the
requirements of the labour market.
The engagements brought
together government, employers, academia, civil society and actors within the
digital ecosystem to examine the barriers between training and employment and
explore stronger coordination and information-sharing mechanisms.
Stakeholders mapped existing
initiatives and actors, identified locally led programmes with potential for
scale, and examined opportunities to improve pathways from ICT training to
sustainable economic opportunities.
The engagements also
prioritised access for women, persons with disabilities and underserved youth,
recognising the need for more inclusive approaches to digital skills
development and employment.
Tech4Youth is jointly funded
by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, and implemented by the Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
The initiative forms part of
efforts to build locally owned pathways that connect ICT skills with employment
opportunities and contribute to more inclusive digital and economic
participation among Nigerian youth.
