YABATECH Partners Lagos WAPA to Empower Girls in Tech
Funmi Ogundare
Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) has partnered the Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) to train girls in Mobile App Development, Web Application Development, Computer Repairs, and GSM and phone repairs.
The training will be conducted at YABATECH’s All Girls’ Tech Hub under the Girls Education Skills Partnership (GESP), lasting for three months, with participants receiving certification recognised by the National Skills Qualification (NSQ).
During the visit of the Commissioner for WAPA, Hon. Cecilia Bolaji Dada, to YABATECH, the Rector, Dr. Ibraheem Abdul, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, emphasising the importance of collaboration between the two institutions.
He explained that the college has a pool of skilled professional women who can contribute to the ministry’s skills acquisition programmes.
“Our mandate extends beyond teaching and research. We are deeply committed to community development and have participated in numerous poverty alleviation initiatives aimed at creating sustainable livelihoods,” Abdul added.
He also stressed that skills acquisition is foundational to poverty alleviation, with YABATECH actively working in this area through collaborations with international partners such as the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) in Canada.
The rector pointed out the challenge of training costs, noting that skills development programmes can be expensive.
“We seek to collaborate with partners to reduce these costs and ensure that the programme remains accessible,” he explained.
He noted that in partnership with UNICEF, the college trained 5,000 girls in ICT skills without charging any fees and is now looking to expand the programme to include more girls from Lagos State, facilitated through WAPA.
“YABATECH’s All Girls’ Tech Hub, in collaboration with Computer Village, is a key part of this initiative,” said Abdul. “The college also runs a large work-based learning centre at Computer Village, supported by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), in partnership with Mastercraft.”
The rector said while current partnerships with organisations like UNICEF allow the college to train a limited number of girls, further partnerships are essential for sustaining the programme. He also emphasised that the college’s staff are available for community service in collaboration with WAPA to strengthen the initiative further.
He also stressed the importance of gender-sensitive pedagogy, explaining that the college trains educators to eliminate gender bias in teaching. He called for the inclusion of Lagos teachers in this training, noting that the college is working with the International Network for Advancing Science and Policy (INASP) in the UK on gender-responsive pedagogy, a model that could be implemented in Lagos schools.
In her remarks, Dada expressed her excitement about the partnership, saying that she was impressed with YABATECH’s facilities and the potential of the collaboration. She confirmed that the ministry could supply 5,000 girls for the training, with 19 skills acquisition centres already under its management. She noted that the skills offered by YABATECH are not currently part of the ministry’s curriculum, making the partnership all the more valuable.
The commissioner promised to help promote the programme in Lagos, ensuring that girls in the state are made aware of the opportunity. She also assured the college that YABATECH staff volunteering for community service would be invited as facilitators at ministry programmes and remunerated for their efforts.
Dada also lauded YABATECH’s initiatives to eliminate gender bias and confirmed that the ministry’s 350 instructors would be available for training on gender-sensitive teaching practices.
Dr. Funmilayo Doherty, GESP Project Manager, added that the training could be offered both in-person and online, with 3,500 spaces available for virtual learners.
