UNICEF, Bauchi partner to train 13,000 girls in digital skills

The Bauchi government says 13,000 girls will be trained in digital skills acquisition in the state.

The programme, tagged Girls Employability and Skills Partnership (GESP), was inaugurated in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for the purpose of empowerment and eliminating poverty.

Speaking at a one-day consultation meeting in Bauchi, Tusshar Rane, UNICEF chief of field office, said the programme started in 2013 and will run till 2030.

The programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in the United Kingdom and the Standard Chartered Bank, will run in four states across the country.

Adolescent girls between the ages of 10 and 24 in both formal and informal sectors were selected to partake in learning trades and becoming self-reliant.

Rane said the programme will take advantage of the Nigerian Learning Passport (NLP) to promote skills development and enable a swift transition from school to work.

“The initiative is expected to positively impact the country’s future job growth enabling programme between 2021 and 2030,” he said.

On his part, Mukhtar Ibrahim, during a presentation, said the programme targeted 13,000 adolescents in Bauchi to acquire entrepreneurship skills and promote wealth creation in the state.

“It is in line with the federal government’s economic agenda,” Ibrahim said.

“It engaged multilateral agencies and the private sector in creating special opportunities for young Nigerians.”