British Council, Octoville Expand Economic Opportunities for Youth, Women, PWDs - THISDAYLIVE

The British Council and Octoville Development Company have launched the Inclusive Economic Empowerment Pathways (IEE) Programme 2026, seeking to equip young Nigerians with practical skills, workplace experience and enterprise development support to improve access to employment and entrepreneurship.

The 2026 version of the programme launched yesterday in Abuja provides an eight-week foundational training for participants before they proceed into either an employment or enterprise pathway.

Under the employment pathway, participants will undergo an additional eight weeks of employment-focused training, followed by a minimum of six weeks of internship and workplace exposure.

Those on the enterprise pathway will receive 16 weeks of enterprise development training, supported by eight weeks of concurrent mentorship and business coaching.

Speaking at the onboarding ceremony, Senior Associate, Octoville Development Company, Deborah Oladosu, said the programme was designed to give young people practical knowledge, relevant skills and exposure that would help them make informed decisions about their future in employment or enterprise.

She said the programme placed a strong emphasis on inclusion, with participation targets of at least 50 per cent women and 8 per cent persons with disabilities (PWDs).

According to her, the initiative would provide participants with structured support to build confidence, strengthen their capabilities and gain practical experience needed to pursue sustainable livelihoods.

The programme is sponsored by the British Council and implemented in Abuja by Octoville Development Company.

Reeling out available data, Oladosu stressed that unemployment among Nigerians aged 15–24 stood at 10.1 per cent, while the rate for those aged 25–34 was 8.0 per cent, with time-related underemployment affecting 16.7 per cent of people aged 15–24 and 13.8 per cent of those aged 25–34.

Beyond unemployment, the data indicated that 92.2 per cent of employment in Nigeria was informal, while 85 per cent of employed Nigerians were self-employed, highlighting the importance of strengthening the capacity of young people who are already operating within the enterprise economy.

The programme further identified limited digital and financial literacy, communication, teamwork, problem-solving and career guidance as some of the foundational gaps affecting young people.

It also noted that formal education often does not provide the operational, project, financial and professional skills demanded by employers, while many business founders lack validated business models, appropriate costing and pricing, formalisation and investment readiness.

Delivering a goodwill message, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, commended the British Council and Octoville Development Company for the initiative, stressing the importance of practical skills, work experience and mentorship in preparing young Nigerians for a changing economy.

The minister, represented by an aide, Kehinde Awojuola, said the programme’s employment and enterprise pathways addressed important needs of young people seeking opportunities in the labour market and business environment.

She particularly welcomed the inclusion targets, noting that the provision for 50 per cent participation by young women and eight per cent by PWDs was consistent with the ministry’s objective of ensuring that young Nigerians were not left behind. “Inclusion is not just a target; it is a necessity for sustainable national development,” she said.

She urged participants to approach the programme with dedication, curiosity and hard work, adding that the skills and mentorship provided could enable them to make meaningful contributions to the country.

The minister also reaffirmed the Federal Ministry of Youth Development’s support for initiatives that create pathways to economic independence for young Nigerians.

Also speaking, a representative of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Benard Odeke, said inclusive economic empowerment should extend beyond financial assistance to creating an environment where women, girls, PWDs, young people and other underserved groups could acquire relevant skills, access finance and markets, own and manage productive assets and participate fully in economic activities.

He argued that women remained active in agriculture, entrepreneurship, trade, manufacturing, services and the informal economy but continued to face barriers relating to finance, skills, technology, land, markets, business networks and decision-making.

Odeke urged stakeholders to focus on the effectiveness, accessibility, sustainability and impact of empowerment interventions, asking whether the most vulnerable groups were being reached and whether beneficiaries were acquiring skills that responded to actual market demand.

He also called for reliable sex-disaggregated and inclusion-sensitive data to help government and other stakeholders identify gaps, target interventions and measure progress.

Also, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) representative, Mr Habib Mohammed, offered free business registration to PWDs and some participants at the event.

The gesture is expected to help beneficiaries formalise their businesses and improve their participation in the formal economy.

The organisers said the IEE programme would combine foundational training, employment preparation, workplace exposure, enterprise development, mentorship and business coaching to strengthen young Nigerians’ pathways into sustainable employment and entrepreneurship.

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