NerdzFactory Foundation in collaboration with the Access Bank, has trained over 518 youths in digital skills. The two weeks virtual training, Youth Transition Program (YTP) 5.0, was meant to equip the youths for employment and digital skills and prepare them to excel in the competitive job market and unlock new economic opportunities.

Director of NerdzFactory Foundation, Ade Olowojoba, said the significance of the programme reflects the foundation’s mission to empower a new generation of leaders with the skills needed to thrive in an increasingly dynamic and digital global economy.

“Through initiatives like this, we are fostering innovation, resilience, and economic independence among young Nigerians,” he stated.

He disclosed that the programme succeeded in reaching its objectives.  According to him, participants reported increased readiness for the workforce, improved digital skills, and enhanced entrepreneurial capabilities, which have positioned them to secure quality employment and launch their ventures. The programme has demonstrated the transformative impact of focused skill-building initiatives.

“NerdzFactory Foundation and Access Bank reaffirm their commitment to expand the reach of the Youth Transition Programme to empower more young Nigerians with the tools they need to achieve lasting success and contribute to Nigeria’s sustainable economic development,” he said.

The director noted that the programme launched in response to Nigeria’s high unemployment rate, delivered comprehensive training to empower participants with practical job search skills, digital marketing expertise, and knowledge of leveraging digital platforms for economic growth.

During the programme, some of the sessions included webinars and a virtual bootcamp designed to help participants develop workplace skills such as CV writing, LinkedIn optimisation, and effective use of digital workspace tools.

“By fostering economic independence and resilience, YTP 5.0 aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 4, on quality education and Goal 8, on decent work and economic growth,” he stated.

African Export-Import Bank and Ecobank Group have embarked on a collaboration aimed at simplifying trade and compliance for businesses in Africa by integrating Ecobank’s Single Market Trade Hub and Afreximbank’s MANSA Digital Repository Platform.

With the collaboration, African businesses will benefit from seamless shared services across the two platforms, with users of the Single Market Trade Hub able to easily leverage MANSA’s comprehensive database for efficient know-thy-customer (KYC) and customer due diligence (CDD) checks while MANSA platform users would, in turn, be able to directly connect to the Single Market Trade Hub to explore trade opportunities to expand their businesses across Africa.

The Ecobank Single Market Trade Hub connects registered businesses across Africa on a single platform, helping them benefit from opportunities in the unified market of 1.4 billion people created by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

It serves as a one-stop repository for the AfCFTA by providing small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) and corporates with insights about the agreement while its online match-making feature enables importers and exporters to upload their profiles and showcase goods and services they offer, or wish to source, with the aim of finding partners within Africa.

Once a match is found, connections are made via the platform and the transaction can be concluded leveraging on Ecobank’s trade and payment solutions in 35 African markets.

The MANSA Digital Repository Platform, or MANSA, is a one-stop-shop for due diligence matters on all African entities. As a centralised digital repository, MANSA seeks to eliminate information asymmetry and to increase intra-African trade and trade with the rest of the world.

It drives and promotes good governance culture among African SMEs and creates visibility for their businesses while also supporting African entities to expand, diversify and add value to their export products at both the local and international levels. Entities onboarded unto MANSA are allotted an Africa Entity Identifier (AEI) code which enables them to leverage other Afreximbank products and initiatives.

MANSA is also a key digital solution at the Africa Trade Gateway (ATG) marketplace which houses a suite of digital platforms designed as a single window to enable Afreximbank better deliver on its mandate, providing critical services to support and promote intra-African trade and the implementation of the AfCFTA. The platform enables African entities to accelerate their business activities at the ATG marketplace by working with verified information on trusted counterparties.

The new collaboration is, therefore, enabling Ecobank and Afreximbank to provide a central solution to the key challenge of KYC compliance and access to business across 35 countries in Africa. The improved interoperability is expected to further streamline cross-border trade and compliance in Africa, fostering greater financial and economic integration on the continent.

Afreximbank is a pan-African multilateral financial institution established to finance and promote intra- and extra-African trade.

Ecobank Group is a leading private pan-African banking group with unrivalled African expertise.

Leadway Assurance said it has chosen to go beyond risk underwriting to play the role of transformative partner for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

The underwriting firm played this role by empowering SMEs with practical strategies on how to navigate risks inherent in Yuletide season.

Leadway recently organized a webinar session for SMEs titled, “Driving Increased Sales During the Festive Season.”

Speaking on the reason for the session, the underwriting firm said it realized that as momentum into the 2024 festive season continued, businesses, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), face paradoxical realities of increased sales opportunities and consequent cocktails of business risks.

It said recognising the fact that with consumer spending and holiday making increasing businesses for SMEs, there were the possibilities of risk from these spikes in commercial activities such as – theft, accidents, burglaries, fire outbreaks, frauds, and system failures.

Against this backdrop Leadway said it has reaffirmed its position as a transformative partner to SMEs by empowering businesses with practical strategies for navigating the complexities of the season.

“This aligns with the brand’s mission to deliver robust risk management and business solutions to bolster economic growth, Head of the Retail Division at Leadway, Umashime Oguzor-Doghro said.

As connected to insurance, Oguzor-Doghro said: “Insurance was often seen as a reactive tool, but at Leadway, we position it as a strategic asset. With our competitive risk management solutions—spanning property, transit, and employee coverage, we enable businesses to operate with confidence, knowing they are protected from the unforeseen.

What sets us apart is our free advisory service, which ensures businesses are fully equipped before they even take up our insurance products.” he added.

In addition to risk management, Oguzor- Doghro said the webinar championed collaboration as a catalyst for success, adding that Leadway’s partnerships with event managers and SME stakeholders aim to ensure seamless operations during the festive season, reinforcing the company’s role as more than just an insurer but a reliable business ally.