Tech4Dev partnership with government offers digital skills to 36,000 youths

A partnership between Technology for Social Change and Development (Tech4Dev), a non-profit organisation, and the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development has benefited 36,000 young people in the past year.

Through the Emerging Markets Model Initiative (EMMI) powered by Microsoft Philanthropies, the beneficiaries received digital and technology skills within a one-year period.

The EMMI is a multi-year private-public-nonprofit partnership necessary to build the capacity of the key government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to offer sustainable, scalable reskilling and employment services aligned to the local labor markets.

The initiative focuses on providing access to digital skills training (from digital literacy to advance training/AI) to young persons living in underserved communities in Nigeria. The initiative will also work with government agencies to provide access to livelihood opportunities through job placement, entrepreneurship, and freelancing.

Sunday Dare, Minister of Youth and Sports Development, said the program aligns with the youth empowerment objectives of the President Buhari administration.

“In particular, it aligns with the Ministry’s Digital Skill Acquisition, Employability, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership initiative (DEEL), which is aimed at giving the Nigerian youth an added advantage and a competitive edge in the global workforce,” Dare said.

Youth unemployment is at its highest rising to 53.40 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020 from 40.80 percent in the second quarter of 2020. Generally, the number of unemployed persons rose by 6.4 percent to 23.2 million as of Q4’ 2020 from 21.8 million as of Q4’ 2020. The unemployment rate is projected to reach 32.5 percent in 2021 and 2022.

“We are a proud proponent of the immense power of digital skills training as a tool to achieve this and improve livelihood. We are honored to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development on the EMMI project to provide digital skills and digital job opportunities to the Nigerian youths,” Diwura Oladepo, executive director of Tech4Dev said.