50 Abuja IDP youths complete digital skills programme

Fifty young people from the New Kuchingoro and Kuje internally displaced persons camps in Abuja have completed a 10-week social entrepreneurship programme aimed at equipping them with business, digital and leadership skills to improve their livelihoods.

The training, organised by the Initiatives for Social Inclusion and Grassroots Literacy in partnership with Amala Education, graduated 25 participants from each camp following ceremonies held on July 17 and 18.

The programme, which commenced in May, exposed participants to entrepreneurship, opportunity identification, innovation, waste-to-wealth and recycling, leadership development, digital literacy, financial management, business planning and drug abuse prevention through practical sessions, mentorship and enterprise simulations.

Speaking at the graduation, Founder and Chairman of ISGIL, Oluwayomi Owoseye, said the initiative demonstrated the potential of displaced youths when given access to education and skills development.

“What we have witnessed over these 10 weeks is proof that talent and ambition do not disappear because of displacement.”

“These 50 young people have shown us their capacity to lead, to create and to build. Our responsibility now is to keep opening doors for them,” he said.

Owoseye called on government agencies, development partners and international donors to support programmes that empower displaced persons, noting that many young people in IDP camps possess untapped talents that could contribute to national development.

He said sustained collaboration was needed to expand opportunities for displaced communities across the country.

The programme was coordinated by ISGIL’s Director of Strategy and Operations, Luqman Gidado, who supervised the training from facilitator preparation to implementation in both camps.

Facilitators said participants recorded significant improvements in confidence, problem-solving and entrepreneurial thinking, with many progressing from hesitant beginners to confidently presenting business ideas by the end of the course.

Beneficiaries described the programme as life-changing, saying the knowledge, mentorship and practical skills acquired had renewed their confidence and given them hope of building sustainable businesses despite the challenges of displacement.

ISGIL also commended Amala Education for providing technical support, facilitator training, curriculum resources, mentorship and programme supervision throughout the initiative.

The organisation said it planned to expand the programme to more IDP camps and vulnerable communities while strengthening partnerships that would provide graduates with mentorship, business incubation and access to resources needed to transform their business ideas into sustainable enterprises.