Oge Elumelu connects young Nigerians to jobs through new internship initiative

Oge Elumelu has launched a new internship initiative aimed at connecting young Nigerians with employers, unveiling the programme at the inaugural Africa Everywhere Festival in Lagos as part of efforts to equip young people with workplace skills and improve their employment prospects across the continent.

 

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the event on Saturday, Oge Elumelu, founder of the Africa Everywhere Festival, said the initiative evolved from her podcast, African Everywhere Conversations with Oge, which was launched in September 2024 to expose young Africans to opportunities across sectors, including finance, beauty, fashion, entertainment and technology. She said the next step was to move beyond conversations by creating direct pathways into the workforce.

 

“The whole idea was to help shed light on different businesses and sectors so that more young Africans can understand how to enter these spaces,” she said. “We then asked ourselves how we could create more tangible impact by helping people gain actual work experience.” According to her, the team partnered with organisations willing to offer internships, reviewed applications, helped shortlisted candidates improve their CVs and matched them with available roles.

 

The response, she said, surpassed expectations, with more than 7,000 applications received for the programme. From that pool, 170 candidates were shortlisted, about 150 attended the festival, and 15 organisations agreed to participate in the career fair. She disclosed that 37 successful applicants would secure internship placements lasting between three and six weeks, while some participating companies had also indicated that outstanding interns could be considered for full-time employment.

 

Elumelu said the initiative is designed to address graduate unemployment by providing practical work experience and improving employability. She added that the long-term ambition is to expand the programme beyond Lagos to Abuja and other Nigerian cities before taking it to major African hubs, including Accra, Nairobi, Johannesburg and Cairo, to create a truly pan-African platform for youth employment.

 

Delivering the keynote address, Tony Elumelu, chairman of Heirs Holdings, urged young Africans to dream big, embrace hard work and acquire the financial knowledge needed to create wealth, stressing that Africa’s future depends on its youthful population.

 

“The future of Africa belongs to our youth,” he said. “Knowledge is power. Learn how organisations make money, but also learn how you can make money yourself. The best thing anyone can give you is to teach you how to save, how to invest and how to build capital because that is how we create prosperity.”

 

Drawing from his personal journey, Elumelu recounted how he secured his first banking job despite not meeting the advertised academic requirement. He said his determination led him to write directly to the chief executive of the institution, asking for an opportunity to prove himself. “Dream dreams, be ambitious, work hard, stay disciplined and don’t give up. Luck comes when preparation meets opportunity,” he told the participants.

 

Also speaking, Awele Elumelu, chair of Avon Healthcare Limited, commended her daughter’s initiative, describing it as an important platform for connecting talented young Africans with opportunities that could shape their careers. She said many young people possess the talent to succeed but often lack access to opportunities.

 

“I am extremely proud of what Oge is doing,” she said. “There is a depth of talent in our country and across Africa, but sometimes the opportunity is missing. This platform brings together those with talent and those with the resources to create opportunities, and that is how we can contribute to the development of Nigeria and Africa.”

 

She encouraged young people to continue investing in themselves even when employment opportunities appear limited. According to her, participants stand to benefit not only from internship placements but also from interactions with industry leaders, interview experience and networking opportunities. “Learn as much as you can, develop yourself continuously, be hardworking and diligent. Even when you’re waiting for an opportunity, keep building your skills because when the opportunity comes, you’ll be ready,” she said.