The Problem

Nigeria is the largest country in Africa and 7th largest in the world by population. The country also has a high birth rate and the population is expected to double by 2050. However, this massive asset – our human capital – is grossly under-utilised…indeed, almost 20% of the working population is unemployed or underemployed and 47% of university graduates remain unemployed for up to 3 years after graduating.

We believe that the vocational sector could be a tenable alternative means of livelihood. However, till date, the sector has remained unstructured and informal, with poor quality standards and limited career growth potential for vocational workers. Vocational training is largely informal and there is little control on standards, content and methodology. Services provided are often shoddy and there is no ‘work pride’ for many vocational workers. Indeed, artisans are increasingly being ‘imported’ to work in Nigeria even for menial work (from Ghana, Togo, Benin, Lebanon, China, India etc).

It is indeed a ‘no win’ situation for everyone.

Our Solution

We believe the solution must be multi-pronged and therefore intend to facilitate the following interventions within the sector:

Quality Training and Certification
We intend to provide structured, quality vocational sector education with world-class certifications that will give participants the skills to work anywhere in the world. Our certification courses will encompass not just core vocational skills, but also business basics, customer service and entrepreneurial training. We aim to train 3,000 artisans per year with focus on youths of all gender between the ages of 18 and 45.

Industry/Job Placement
For certified vocational workers interested in jobs, we will provide access to great job opportunities, working with our corporate partners and other employers interested in recruiting highly skilled workers.

Work Placement Portal
For the more entrepreneurial workers, we will provide support with our proprietary online artisan placement system. This holistic system will include a database of artisans by location and speciality, booking and payments engine as well as a rating system to ensure customer satisfaction can be transparently tracked and measured. We promote excellence!

Tools
We will ensure our artisans are equipped with cutting edge tools to enable them work more effectively as well as personal protective equipment to ensure safe and professional work.