Skill acquisition for Africa’s youth – a necessary path to peace, poverty eradication and development

Sr. Oluwakemi Akinleye fsp – Lagos

Youth are a gift and treasure in every society. The necessity of learning a skill to improve oneself, alongside or apart from academic qualifications, is becoming more and more an invaluable asset, especially for today’s youth living in these very trying and challenging economic times. “The world faces a multitude of challenges today, many of which affect the youth. Violent conflicts disrupting education and stability, a polarized online environment fostering negativity, and persistent economic inequality limits opportunities” (UNESCO).

Thankfully, there are now a variety of skills that young people can learn. They include information technology, graphics, hairdressing, welding, catering, tailoring and car repairs. These are activities that one learns to bring out one’s gifts and talents, and often they become sources of employment and income generation.

Are African youth interested in skills acquisition?

Despite the fact that many African youth have shown that learning and using skills, through hard work and determination, have become better empowered in society, there are still others who see this as a waste of time and prefer to seek out fraudulent means in earning a living. Unfortunately, some have fallen victim to human and drug trafficking due to this ‘seek for quick money’ attitude. Yet there are some youth who honestly desire to learn useful skills but lack the funding to pay for the skill acquisition courses.

Arise Foundation in collaboration with Nigerian women religious

Sister giving computer training lessons to students in Nigeria

In order to support Nigerian youth in their quest for a decent and better life, the Arise Foundation in the United Kingdom, in collaboration with the Nigerian Conference of Women Religious (NCWR), since 2022, has empowered more than 200 youth with funds for various skill acquisition short courses in the country. Olaide, Ogechi, Blessing and Kingsley are some of the beneficiaries of this program. They have learnt catering, tailoring and web development respectively. Each of them can now earn an income from the skills they have learnt.

Contributing to a world of peace and development

As we celebrate World Youth Skills Day, we celebrate our youth with all their energy, creativity and talents. We also bring their voices to families, governments, groups and organisations to invest more resources in training them, so that in turn, they will contribute positively to the eradication of poverty, human and drug trafficking and build a world of peace, progress and development. “It is crucial to equip youth with the necessary skills for fostering a culture of peace, nurturing responsible global citizens, and promoting sustainable development to build a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future for all” (UNESCO).