Foundation Empowers Youths with Skills

Mary Nnah

Hundreds of youth were recently empowered when OVL Foundation organised a skills acquisition programme in commemoration of the 2018 World Youth Skills Day.

This initiative tagged, “Skill Acquisition: A tool for maximising potential”, was targeted at empowering young people in rural and semi-urban areas with skills, that would empower them to lead economically productive lives and attain their highest potentials.

Held at the OVL Foundation office in Victoria Island, Lagos, the training exposed the participants to professional skills in the field of photography and make-up artistry.

During the training, professionals shared knowledge, experiences and skills in specialised vocations.
The training also provided youths with hands-on, one-on-one experiences on how to build their skills in the professions and how to develop self-sustaining businesses from these skills.

The Executive Director, OVL Foundation, Mr. Victor Laniyan, revealed that according to the United Nations, young people are almost three times more likely to be unemployed than adults and continuously exposed to lower quality of jobs, greater labour market inequalities, and longer and more insecure school-to-work transitions, adding that education and training were key determinants of success in the labour market.

Identifying the need for building capacity and developing the skills of the youths in society as a tool for alleviating poverty and driving economic independence, the OVL Foundation, through this initiative has empowered and built capacity of youths with skills and knowledge that would take them to greater heights.

Laniyan added that the foundation will keep on working with trainers and community stakeholders to take the training to every local government in Lagos State.

He also called on the private sector and individuals to support the foundation in building a sustainable framework for empowering young people across the nation to be financially independent.

OVL Foundation is a pan-African non-profit organisation established in 2014 and duly registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission as an organisation to empower women, young people and children in Africa to lead economically productive lives and break free from the shackles of poverty, stagnation and retrogression.