Azure & Gold Development Foundation

03/03/2025

A few weeks ago, we concluded a phase in youth skills development and employment creation that we began 5 years ago with partnership support and funding, primarily from Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta - PIND. It has been an incredible journey for us—starting as a mere passion for equipping youths with skills for meaningful livelihoods and later evolving into a career path for us as an organization.

Recognizing the truth in the saying, “Skills are the new currency of the job market, and those who possess them are the ones most likely to succeed,” we have focused our training on real skills - physical in-demand skills—particularly within the expansive and viable infra-build/building construction sector in the Niger Delta - a sector where competent artisans remain in short supply, with many being imported from Ghana and Togo, despite rising youth unemployment in the region.

Modeled around evidence-based, competency-driven, and industry-relevant delivery, our greatest achievement is our training of over 1,000 youths, mainly in Akwa Ibom and across the Niger Delta in various building construction skills (𝐏𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐏𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐂𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐲, 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐏𝐎𝐏 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 & 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 & 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐓𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 & 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐀𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐦 𝐅𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, among others). supporting many of the beneficiaries in entrepreneurship start-ups and facilitated linkages to job for others within the sector.

Our focus in the next phase is targeted towards bringing geographical in-demand and market-relevant skills training to the disadvantaged and excluded youths in rural communities as a way of mitigating rural-urban migration and enhance peace-building efforts by engaging youths in meaningful economic activities within the Niger Delta. We look forward to partnership in this regard.

~ IdeEkpe Fabian Emmanuel, Lead Consultant, Azure & Gold Development Foundation, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, 08064445235