Whitefield, Coca Cola, Sterling One foundations to equip 60,000 youths, women

Whitefield Foundation has partnered with Coca-Cola Foundation, Sterling One Foundation, and other parties to equip at least 60,000 youths and women across Nigeria with employability, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy skills in a bid to make the beneficiaries self-reliant. The strategic partnership is also supported by Sterling Bank, the official banking partner of the project, Kano State Ministry for Youths and Sports, MSME Africa and the Capstone

Speaking at the media launch in Lagos recently, Mrs Funmi Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of Whitefield Foundation, explained that the NGO was set up to eradicate poverty through empowerment, adding that in 2019 the organisation soared because of support from The Coca-Cola Foundation.

The CEO noted that the EQUIP 60,000 is an innovative hybrid approach to empowerment, to address the unemployment gap. The program focuses on helping to achieve 5 of the SDG Goals including Zero Hunger, No Poverty, Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth and Partnerships to achieve the Goals.

As part of the initiative, the Whitefield Foundation has opened a virtual portal and a WhatsApp number: www.equipwhitefieldfoundation.ng and 09057540000, respectively, to enable applicants to apply. The foundation is targeting 60,000 to 100,000 applicants by the end of December, after which the portal will be closed for the training to commence on January 3, 2022.

At the initial stage, applicants will be trained in money management, financial literacy, and the future of jobs. At the second stage, they will be exposed to courses in agriculture, catering, domestic essentials, web design, and make-up artistry, while the third stage will require the applicants to demonstrate what they learned in the first two stages.

Officials of Whitefield Foundation and partners will sift about 1,000 applications from among the submissions and give them grants in the region of N200,000 to N300,000 as well as N25,000 to either register their businesses, inject into their businesses, or as seed fund to access single digit agricultural loans from Sterling Bank.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sterling One Foundation, Mrs Olapeju Ibekwe, noted that according to statistics released early this year by Bloomberg, an international media agency, Nigeria’s unemployment rate ranked third globally at 33 per cent, which is a key indicator that the unemployment situation is dire and worsening against the backdrop of the pandemic.

She said everyone must choose to do something to change that narrative. In this light, Mrs Ibekwe noted that the Foundation has prioritized youth empowerment and gender equality as it is very clear that youths and women are critical for investments at this time. She added that the EQUIP 60,000 partnership is timely and laudable given its pan-Nigerian reach noting that while the project will educate and empower 60,000 youths and women directly, indirect beneficiaries are expected to exceed 300,000 people across the nation.

Mrs Amaka Onyemelukwe, Director, Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, stated that the Whitefield Foundation has been a worthy partner over the last three years and that the project will be launched in 4 cities, Lagos, Edo, Kano, and Imo states to expand its reach.

She noted that the Coca Cola Foundation approach is hinged on partnerships and that they are elated with the partnership of Sterling Bank and Sterling One Foundation also. While stressing that they will continue making more investments in giving back to society, she expressed optimism that the entrepreneurs that would come out of the project would add value to the Nigerian economy.

Also speaking, Group Head, Agric Finance & Solid Minerals with Sterling Bank, Mr Obikanye Olushola, said the bank is passionate about women and youths and how to make agriculture attractive to them through its product, Sterling Woman and Youth Agriculture Finance called SWAY AgFin, which is a specially designed single-digit interest fund open to youths and women that are interested in agriculture.

He stated that the bank will assist farmers in transitioning from smallholders to small and medium enterprises (SMEs), connecting them to local and international markets, and will assist the Whitefield Foundation and its partners in helping the beneficiaries build a sustainable business.

Founder, MSME Africa, Mr Seye Olurotimi, remarked that Medium and Small-Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) are pivotal to any economy and MSME Africa is happy to be part of the partnership.

One of the beneficiaries of the 2020 training programme of Whitefield Foundation, Mrs Omolara Lawrence, shared her experience on how the programme has helped her to be gainfully employed and trained about 1,256 people in domestic essentials.

She said the training came in handy during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in 2020 as she leveraged it to produce hand sanitisers, hand washing detergents, and other chemicals to supply government institutions, schools, hospitals, and religious houses, among others.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

FALSE! Yoruba Not An Official Language In Brazil

Claim: A national newspaper and multiple online platforms claim Brazil has adopted Yoruba as its official language and that the language would be included in primary and secondary schools curriculum.

Verdict: The claim is false. The content of the article published by these online platforms is not new; it has been recirculated several times and has been debunked.Whitefield, Coca Cola, Sterling One foundations to equip 60,000 youths, women

Whitefield, Coca Cola, Sterling One foundations to equip 60,000 youths, women