Abuja: Young Advocates for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future (YASIF) Nigeria, International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE), and the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) will train 15,000 youths on green economies. Mrs. Blessing Ewa, the Executive Director of YASIF Nigeria, in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), stated that the programme aims to improve employability, job readiness, and participation in the digital and green economies.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the initiative, known as the SkillsBuild Phase of Reskilling Revolution Africa (RRA), aims to leverage a successful model for youth skills development. This model has been proven effective through evidence collected during the programme’s pilot phase. The IBM SkillsBuild programme is a global initiative designed to provide equitable access to digital, professional, and sustainability-related skills for young people and other underserved populations. In Africa, it is delivered through the RRA initiative, implemented by IAVE in partnership with IBM and the African Union.
The programme offers structured, labour-market-relevant learning pathways via a digital platform that supports self-paced learning, measurable progress, and the awarding of internationally recognised IBM SkillsBuild digital credentials. Ewa highlighted that IBM SkillsBuild digital credentials are supported by facilitation, mentoring, and localised learner support, currently being delivered across multiple countries, including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Ethiopia, to maintain consistent quality standards.
YASIF Nigeria is implementing the SkillsBuild Phase (Phase 2) of the RRA initiative following the successful completion of the programme’s pilot phase, which demonstrated strong learner uptake, gender inclusion, and measurable skills outcomes in Nigeria. The RRA pilot phase, launched in October 2024, aimed to engage 30,000 young Africans across Nigeria, Ethiopia, and South Africa. Nigeria exceeded its national pilot target by enrolling 12,061 unique learners on the IBM SkillsBuild platform, primarily from unemployed and underemployed youth, including students in tertiary and technical institutions.
The YASIF executive director expressed satisfaction over female participation, which surpassed the minimum benchmark and contributed to an overall pilot outcome in which nearly 60 per cent of learners were women. Learners collectively recorded almost 93,000 learning hours and earned close to 2,000 internationally recognised IBM SkillsBuild digital credentials, establishing a strong performance baseline for programme scale-up across the three pilot countries.
Building on these results, the SkillsBuild Phase expands both the scale and structure of programme delivery in Nigeria. Under Phase II, YASIF Nigeria, partnering with Emerging Communities and Little Gifted Hands Matter alongside other implementing partners, will coordinate the enrolment of 15,000 young Nigerians over a 12-month period, with at least 50 per cent female participation. Implementation will occur in Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Katsina, and Niger States, ensuring geographic spread and access for youths from varied backgrounds.
Learners will be onboarded in weekly cohorts through a blended learning model that combines IBM SkillsBuild’s online curriculum with in-person facilitation, coaching, and peer support delivered through trained volunteers and facilitators. According to her, YASIF and its partners will collaborate with various MDAs and the private sector to ensure successful outcomes.
The focus areas will include climate change and green economy, digital marketing, artificial intelligence, web development, project management, entrepreneurship, and sustainability-related skills. Programme performance will be monitored through the SkillsBuild platform, with Nigeria targeting a minimum of 1,500 digital badges earned during Phase 2, representing at least 10 per cent of enrolled learners achieving platform-recognised credentials.
In addition to skills training, YASIF Nigeria and partners are implementing a structured employability and alumni support framework designed to extend the programme’s impact beyond course completion. This includes career guidance services such as Curriculum Vitae development and interview preparation, partnerships with employment and job-placement organisations, and entrepreneurship training and mentorship for participants pursuing self-employment.
Volunteering remains a core component of the SkillsBuild Phase, and participants are encouraged to apply newly acquired skills through community-based activities, peer learning support, and volunteer-led initiatives.