EDC announces partnership with Mastercard Foundation on Youth Empowerment

The Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) has announced a partnership with the Mastercard Foundation to launch the Transforming Nigerian Youths program. The EDC said it recognised that employment was a pathway out of poverty and so was seeking to use the programme to create a network of entrepreneurial and managerial change makers, particularly young people and women across the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector in Nigeria.
The EDC said the free training program aims to boost employment creation and sustainable livelihoods.
“This program is open to all and is primarily focused on Lagos, Kano, and Kaduna states. Through this program, 40,000 young people will be supported with the resources and learning required to start, grow, and expand their businesses.
“The program will also provide support and resources to young people who want to become employable in the creative and agricultural sectors. In the last decade, Nigeria’s unemployment rate has continued to increase,” EDC said.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the unemployment rate as at the second quarter of 2020 was 27.1 percent, indicating that about 21.7 million Nigerians remain unemployed, of which 13.9 million are young people.
The EDC is an establishment of Pan-Atlantic University, which is a leading enterprise development Centre and has in the last 17 years provided support services to thousands of SMEs through capacity building, advisory services, and partnerships with organisations that have an interest in the development of the SME sector in Nigeria.
“We are excited to be part of the Transforming Nigerian Youths program to empower young Nigerians, especially women. It will serve as a catalyst for entrepreneurial reorientation, job creation, and sustainable livelihood,” the Deputy Director, Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University, Mr. Peter Bankole.
Bankole explained that the intervention would scale EDC’s online learning capabilities to provide core business training to an even broader grouping of SMEs in the agricultural and creative sectors of the economy. It will also ensure that even the most marginalized, including young women in the north, can access this world-class training.
“Young Africa Works in Nigeria is committed to enabling opportunity for at least eight million young Nigerians. Entrepreneurship will play a key role in achieving this goal. Fortunately, Nigeria also has no shortage of young entrepreneurs.
“This initiative, which is part of the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy will prepare and enable young people to pursue their aspirations and create productive livelihoods for themselves and others,” said Country Head, Nigeria at the Mastercard Foundation, Chidinma Lawanson.
Applications are open for young Nigerians, especially women within the age range of 18-35.
The Mastercard Foundation works with visionary organizations to enable young people in Africa and in indigenous communities in Canada to access dignified and fulfilling work. It is one of the largest, private foundations in the world with a mission to advance learning and promote financial inclusion to create an inclusive and equitable world.