The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),and Lelook Bags Academy are partnering to empower 100 youths in skills acquisition to enable them key into the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The National Programme Specialist at UNDP and Trade Focal Point, Claire Henshaw, said this at the inauguration of its Onboarding Hands-on Training Programme on Wednesday in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme is specially designed for women, youth, and persons with disabilities in fashion, bag-making, and innovative accessories .
They are to be trained to produce and export into the 1.2 billion dollars opportunity in AfCFTA and other emerging markets.
Henshaw, emphasised the need for skilled manpower to support Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria.
According to her , African countries currently trade less than four per cent with one another, with many Nigerian entrepreneurs finding it easier to access markets in Europe and the Americas than within the continent.
“The objective of this partnership is to train 100 young women and youth in high-quality bag-making skills, providing them with the necessary tools to contribute to the trade ecosystem.
“We aim to bridge the skills gap that has hindered local businesses from meeting increasing regional demands,” she said.
Henshaw said that successful participants would be integrated into a larger network, enabling them to support local MSMEs and enhance their production capacities.
“We expect that as we have trained this 100 for a start, we will feed them into a larger ecosystem where they can leverage opportunities within the Small amd Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN) centers.
“The SMEDAN centers are all across the country. We have one at Idu, a garment making factory, where there is limited use of those equipment.
” So, we will create an ecosystem where all these businesses can come together under one platform to access opportunities, skills, and also enhance the opportunities that they can give to other businesses,” she said.
She said that UNDP was committed to creating an ecosystem where businesses could collaborate, share resources, and access vital information and market intelligence.
Henshaw reiterated the importance of SMEs as the backbone of the Nigerian economy, saying that empowering these businesses is crucial for job creation and economic growth.
“The ongoing programme will not only focus on bag-making but will also extend to training solar technicians, and addressing energy access challenges for MSMEs.
” With a catalytic fund of one billion dollars, UNDP plans to expand its support across various sectors, ensuring a sustainable impact on the African trade landscape.
“We are dedicated to empowering women and youth, strengthening the capacity of MSMEs, and fostering a more connected and prosperous Africa,” she said.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Lelook Bags Academy, Mrs Chinwe Ezenwa, said that the programme would energise and capacitate young people and people living with disability on skills in bag making.
“At the end of the three months, I want to build an army of young people that can face the AfCFTA.
“And already we have a big market in Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia. We want to try to send out our goods to other countries so that we are not seen to be the dumping ground for the world.
“So I expect all the students to live up to the reason why they have come here. UNDP has fully funded the programme for them and we are just the facilitators,” she said.
Also speaking, a former Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Helen Talen, said that commitment was key to achieving greater heights.
While urging the participants to be committed in their endeavour , she called on other well meaning Nigerians to take a queue from the Lelook management and support the government in driving the economy.
NAN reports that the inauguration was attended by government officials, stakeholders and partners who commended the UNDP and urged the participants to take advantage of the opportunity presented to them.
By Lucy Ogalue, NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA