By Chinyere Anyanwu

ReelFruit, Temploy, and Made Culture are partnering to drive employment creation in the agri-processing sector of Nigeria through the recent launch of the ReelSkills for Agribusiness initiative. The initiative is designed to train 1,000 youths on technical and soft skills demanded by Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) within the agri-processing sector of the country.

The initiative funded by the Netherlands government under the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) programme is a training and job-matching programme designed to equip Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (SSCE) holders and Ordinary National Diploma (OND) certificate holders between the ages of 18 and 35 years with skills in Food Safety and Processing, Digital Sales and Marketing.

Commenting on the initiative, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ReelFruit, Affiong Williams, said, “having realised that the agri-processing sector offers enormous opportunities, we are thrilled to have partnered with Temploy and Made Culture on this initiative that will enable us not only to build potential but also offers us the opportunity to equip young Nigerians who have the interest to grow this sector. We are committed to building the agri-processing sector and creating opportunities for young people. We believe that we can build and support more entrepreneurs within this sector through this initiative and we are happy to have kicked off this initiative that will transform the processing and manufacturing ecosystem.”

Related News

Also speaking, Chief Executive Officer, Temploy Nigeria, Juyin Benson, said, “Temploy is delighted to be collaborating with ReelFruit and Made Culture to build the capacity of young Nigerians. We are devoted to recruiting, training and equipping 1,000 youths within Lagos and Ogun states over the next three years with digital and technical skills that will prepare them for a career in the agri-processing sector.”

The Founder/Principal Director of Made Culture, Malaika Toyo, also revealed that, “I believe passionately in using small-to-medium enterprises as skills development hubs for youths. In our quest to tackle Nigeria’s unemployment crisis, we hope to articulate the needs of the labour market to inform how we can provide lifelong learning skills that will improve the lives of young Nigerians.”

The first batch of trainees selected based on their availability, qualification as OND or SSCE holders, and desire to begin a career in the agri-processing sector, have been trained and are keen on embarking on the job-matching and a lifelong career in agri-processing.