Sterling One Foundation, UNDP host social impact breakfast for financial institutions

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Sterling One Foundation has partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in hosting financial institutions for a discourse session on the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP).

The event, which had over 15 different organisations in attendance, focused on ways each of the participating organisations could be a part of the youth empowerment partnership initiative between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The Federal Government of Nigeria had recently launched the Nigeria Jubilee Fellowship Programme which aims to place 20,000 young Nigerian graduates annually into paid one-year opportunities within private and public sector organisations across the country.

Citing the critical need for diverse support and resource mobilisation beyond traditional public finance and international aid to achieve Sustainable Development Goals and address one of the country’s biggest challenges – youth unemployment, the project partners designed the programme to be a career launch pad for young Nigerians to hone their skills.

The CEO of the Sterling One Foundation, Mrs Olapeju Ibekwe, said that it was important to convene the meeting as the initiative being introduced is a win-win opportunity for everyone and a chance to create a lasting impact.

She thanked the different company representatives for joining and urged them to buy into the initiative.

Speaking to the representatives, UNDP’s Senior Advisor, Dr William Tsuma, highlighted the key benefits of the programme to each of the organisations and the different efforts that had been made to ensure it is a rewarding venture.

“The graduates we have selected for the programme were tested and picked from a very large pool, and have undergone additional training with our partners, so they hold lots of promise,” he said.

Reacting to his presentation, most of the financial institutions represented showed willingness to partner as host organisations, posing various questions to help them understand how the diverse pool of fellows was selected and what skills they can expect them to have upon hiring them.

They also thanked the organisers for such a timely intervention given the talent crisis sweeping the country and the lengthy process of finding good candidates for openings.

Some of them also described the opportunity to host organisations as being a part of a national platform that can help to curb the menace of unemployment within society.

The NJFP was launched on August 31, 2022 through a tripartite partnership between the UNDP, the Federal Government of Nigeria, and the European Union.

As part of the programme, fellows will receive on-the-job training from their host organisations to acquire key technical competencies while receiving a monthly stipend to be paid by the implementing partners for 12 months.

A key component of the programme is its focus on finding the most qualified talents through a transparent process and matching them with host organisations where they can be most impactful.

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