Future Project, Microsoft Nigeria, seek to empower youths
.Targets 2,160 Nigerians
The Future Project in collaboration with Microsoft Nigeria has said that it was seeking youths across the country to apply for its programme aimed at accelerating the economy through ‘Youth in Enterprise’ (Accelerate LABS).
According to a statement by the firm, “Accelerate LABS is the activation of Small and Medium Scale Business Engines to accelerate economic development through enterprise development and technology. Through this intervention, the initiative will equip 2,160 youth across the six geo-political zones in the country to build socially inclined, high profit, and highly competitive enterprise capable of impacting the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.
“Microsoft, through our YouthSpark initiative seeks to empower the youth population of Nigeria to imagine and realize their full potential by connecting them with greater opportunities for education, employment and entrepreneurship, helping them create a real impact for a better tomorrow,” said Olusola Amusan, Citizenship Lead, Microsoft Nigeria.
“We are delighted about this partnership with Microsoft Nigeria, it will serve as part of our mission to build a network of empowered citizens through jobs, entrepreneurship, and active citizenship which is in line with the Microsoft YouthSpark mission to increase access for all youth to learn,” said Bukonla Adebakin, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, The Future Project.
According to the statement,“By the end of one year we would have empowered young people to develop empathy, find clarity of purpose and the needed resources to build socially responsible enterprises in their communities. We will have youth across Nigeria leading the frontiers of change in various disciplines.”
Each geo- political zone would be represented by a host state that will serve as a hub to incubate these businesses. Accelerate Labs will be in three streams with each stream running for three months. Each stream will include, three weeks training session, four weeks mentoring session, three weeks research and practice and a demo day for pitching of business ideas to prospective investors.
The Future Project has a mandate to build empowered citizens across Africa, through (inclusive) enterprise and (active) citizenship. This focus on human capital development is informed by our value proposition: Africa’s growth needs a generation of young people who are gainfully employed and able to demand and secure better leadership.
Projects include Aiki.ng, an employability portal presented with Microsoft; the Nigeria symposium for young & emerging Leaders, #StartupsAfrica, Intern4Jobs, among others.
Founded by Chude Jideonwo and Adebola Williams, TFP is supervised by a Global Board of Advisors drawn from Africa, Europe, North America and the Middle East, including the former Coordinating Minister of the Nigerian Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Senior Economic Advisor with the Open Society Foundations, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili; co-founder of ONE, Jamie Drummond and the Chief of Cabinet with theAfrica Development Bank, Anne Kabagambe.
