Rashidat Okunlade Writes

The winner of the 2020 Maltina Teacher of the Year competition, Ms. Olubunmi Anani, has won an international grant from the Muhammad Sanusi 11 Sustainable Development Goals Initiative Challenge with a project titled “Quality Education for All”.

The grant was awarded to Anani as part of efforts to scale up innovative education projects for improved education in Nigeria. She and nine other teachers from different countries were selected as winners of the Sustainable Development Goals Challenge Showcase for Cohort 2  from the 25 finalists. Each winner would receive a grant of $10,000. She was selected for her commitment to empowering vulnerable out-of-school girls and child mothers in the North-Eastern part of the country.

Speaking on the grant, Anani described it as a huge enabler that would assist the team in making education easily accessible to vulnerable children, especially those who live in rural areas.

She said her participation in the MS11 Accelerator program is geared towards accessing resources that would help bring quality education to the reach of vulnerable children in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria.

“It is a pure privilege to be empowered to make an indelible impact in our lives and the future of the vulnerable out-of-school girl child in North-East Nigeria. It is a rare humanitarian gesture to invest ten thousand dollars, resources, and mentorship support towards ensuring that the vulnerable populations in Africa and North-East Nigeria are part of the vision for SDGs 4 and 5,” she said.

She further vowed to make judicious use of the resources to achieve the donor’s vision as expressed in SDGs 4 and 5.

“We do not take this privilege for granted, and we will do our very best. With the accelerator card given to us, we commit ourselves to His Highness’s vision from the SDGs 4 and 5 in North-East, Nigeria,” she added.

The MS 11 SDG project addresses a wide range of issues that include disability, displacement, access to learning materials, girls’ health, digital skills, and many more. It aims to empower teachers to provide inclusive education and drive innovative community projects to overcome education challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Rashidat Okunlade Writes

Precious Iyamu is one of the 20 beneficiaries who were awarded certificates of completion of Nestlé Nigeria’s technical training program at the Abaji Technical Training Center.

He made his family and friends proud as the best-graduating student of Batch 3, achieving 31 distinctions and one merit, in the 32 courses he took in the City and Guilds examinations.

Prior to joining the technical training program, Precious aspired to further his studies and build a career path in automation and instrumentation. His dreams came true when he was selected to participate in the Nestlé Technical Training program, out of over 600 applicants. Thanks to this experience, Precious is an employee of Nestlé Nigeria today.

Nestlé Nigeria’s 18-month intensive, Nestlé Technical Training Program was designed to help bridge the technical skills gap by equipping young people with the skills to contribute to the industrial acceleration needed to drive economic development in Nigeria.

Since its inception in 2011, the program equips participants with machining, mechanical fitting operations, electrical operations, instrumentation operations, and automation skills, preparing them for the prestigious London City and Guilds technical certification.

Left -Right: Ayodele Ayeokere, Factory Manager, Nestlé Abaji Factory, Fridah Muchina, Regional Head of HR, Nestlé Central and West Africa, Mallam Muhammed Bashir, Director, Human Resources Management, Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory representing the Honorable Minister of the FCT, Shakiru Lawal, Country HR Manager, Nestlé Nigeria PLC, Wassim Elhusseini, MD/CEO, Nestlé Nigeria PLC, Mr. Hamid Nagogo, Assistant Director, Enterprise Development and Promotion Department, Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, representing the Honorable Minister of Youth and Sports Development and Mr. Adewale Oyerinde, Director General, Nigerian Employers Consultative Association ( NECA).

Precious told Nestlé Management at the graduation ceremony, “The successful completion of the training program is a huge feat for all of us. This platform is an opportunity that we do not take for granted. We will make you proud”.

“I can confidently tell young people across the country that they should not give up hope, as their dreams and aspirations are attainable if they put in the required work and dedication to prepare themselves to access opportunities when they become available.”, he added.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, the MD/CEO, Nestlé Nigeria, Mr Wassim Elhusseini said, “At Nestlé, one of our focus areas is to contribute to the efforts to help young people develop the capabilities and skills they need to participate in growing our economy. The technical training program prepares youth to access economic
opportunities either through employment or the creation of their own enterprise with the
acquired skills.

This is important in view of the statistics showing that over 13.9 million youths are either unemployed, in unstable employment, or underemployed. I am very happy to announce to you today, that all graduates of this batch have been employed by Nestlé Nigeria! So, you see, this initiative is not only good for the individuals who participate and for their families and communities but also good for our company; a Win-Win-Win! We are indeed creating shared value.”

The graduating students.

Also speaking at the event, the Honorable Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, represented by Mr Hamid Nagogo, Assistant Director, Enterprise Development and Promotion Department of the Ministry said, “The Ministry is delighted and proud to see vibrant youth who have gone through the 18-month training process to obtain the City and Guilds certification. We particularly commend Nestlé for this laudable initiative on youth empowerment. We trust that the company will continue to partner with the Government to provide more opportunities for skills development to support the acquisition of decent jobs by young people across the country”.

According to the Honorable Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr. Muhammed Bello, who was represented by Mallam Muhammed Bashir, Director, Human Resources Management, Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory, “Technical knowledge and other hands-on skills are essential tools required for the growth and development of any nation. I commend Nestlé Nigeria for her efforts in empowering the youth through education and training as this will go a long way to create a skilled workforce that can meet the demands of a rapidly evolving economy”.

In his comments, Mr. Wale Oyerinde, Director General, Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA) said, “NECA and ITF are proud to be collaborating with Nestlé for this skills development program. Celebrating the graduation of the 3rd batch is a major achievement and milestone in solving the challenge of the teeming youth population in the country – youth unemployment. Through this training program, Nestlé is not only filling the pipeline for experienced technicians required in the Industrial sector, but the company is also improving the capacity and ability of the young ones to support their families and communities, creating compounding socio-economic impact”.

Nestlé Nigeria currently operates three training centers in the country located at her Agbara and Flowergate factories, both in Ogun State and Abaji factory in the Federal Capital Territory. Over 180 students have benefitted from the program since its inception; 95% of them are directly employed by Nestlé Nigeria and 5% with other multinationals. Nestlé remains committed to skilling, reskilling, and upskilling youth as a sure path to a productive future.