Firm, partners to train 15,000 youths

Young Advocates for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future (YASIF Nigeria), alongside other partners, has joined the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) and IBM to roll out the second phase of the SkillsBuild programme under the Reskilling Revolution Africa (RRA) initiative, targeting 15,000 young Nigerians. The IBM SkillsBuild programme is a global skills development initiative […]

Young Advocates for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future (YASIF Nigeria), alongside other partners, has joined the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) and IBM to roll out the second phase of the SkillsBuild programme under the Reskilling Revolution Africa (RRA) initiative, targeting 15,000 young Nigerians.

The IBM SkillsBuild programme is a global skills development initiative aimed at expanding equitable access to digital, professional and sustainability-related skills for young people and underserved populations, with the goal of improving employability, job readiness and participation in the digital and green economies.

In Africa, the programme is delivered through the Reskilling Revolution Africa initiative, implemented by IAVE in partnership with IBM and the African Union, and coordinated at country level through national civil society and volunteer organisations.

The programme offers structured, labour-market-relevant learning pathways via a digital platform that supports self-paced learning, tracks measurable progress and awards internationally recognised IBM SkillsBuild digital credentials. This is complemented by facilitation, mentoring and localised learner support.

SkillsBuild is currently being implemented in several African countries, including Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya and Ethiopia. Across these countries, the programme has recorded strong outcomes, engaging tens of thousands of learners, achieving high female participation, accumulating tens of thousands of learning hours and enabling thousands of participants to earn IBM SkillsBuild digital badges.

YASIF Nigeria is implementing Phase 2 of the RRA initiative following the successful completion of the pilot phase, which demonstrated strong learner uptake, gender inclusion and measurable skills outcomes in Nigeria. Nigeria is a core implementation country for the initiative, which is led by IAVE in partnership with IBM SkillsBuild and the African Union.

The RRA pilot phase, launched in October 2024, targeted 30,000 young Africans across Nigeria, Ethiopia and South Africa. Nigeria exceeded its national target by enrolling 12,061 unique learners on the IBM SkillsBuild platform, largely drawn from unemployed and underemployed youth, including students of tertiary and technical institutions. Female participation exceeded expectations, contributing to an overall pilot outcome in which nearly 60 per cent of learners were women. Across the three countries, participants recorded almost 93,000 learning hours and earned close to 2,000 IBM SkillsBuild digital credentials.

Building on these results, Phase 2 expands both the scale and structure of programme delivery in Nigeria. Under the new phase, YASIF Nigeria, in partnership with Emerging Communities and Little Gifted Hands Matter, will coordinate the enrolment of 15,000 young Nigerians over a 12-month period, with at least 50 per cent female participation.

Implementation will cover Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Katsina and Niger State to ensure broad geographic reach and inclusion of youths from diverse backgrounds. Learners will be onboarded in weekly cohorts through a blended learning model combining IBM SkillsBuild’s online curriculum with in-person facilitation, coaching and peer support delivered by trained volunteers and facilitators. YASIF and its partners will also collaborate with relevant ministries, departments and agencies, as well as the private sector, to support successful outcomes.

Learning pathways were informed by a national survey and aligned with labour market demand and local realities. Focus areas include climate change and the green economy, digital marketing, artificial intelligence, web development, project management, entrepreneurship and sustainability-related skills. Nigeria is targeting at least 1,500 digital badges to be earned during Phase 2, representing a minimum of 10 per cent of enrolled learners achieving platform-recognised credentials.

Beyond skills training, YASIF Nigeria and its partners are implementing a structured employability and alumni support framework. This includes career guidance services such as CV development and interview preparation, partnerships with job placement organisations, and entrepreneurship training and mentorship for participants pursuing self-employment. A national alumni network will also be maintained to promote peer learning, collaboration and access to employment and enterprise opportunities.

Volunteering remains a key component of the programme, with participants encouraged to apply newly acquired skills through community-based activities, peer learning support and volunteer-led initiatives. According to YASIF, this approach strengthens practical experience, enhances job readiness and reinforces inclusive development and community resilience.

Speaking on the initiative, the Executive Director and Founder of YASIF Nigeria, Blessing Ewa, said the SkillsBuild Phase of Reskilling Revolution Africa represents the scaling of a proven youth skills development model grounded in evidence from the pilot phase and focused on measurable employability outcomes, while contributing to a wider continental effort to prepare young Africans for the digital and green economies.