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No fewer than nine schools across the three senatorial districts of Ondo State have been provided with educational tools and equipment worth N35 million by a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), the Multi-Skill TeenpreneurshipProgramme (MSTP Africa).
Chief Executive Officer of MSTP, Wale Akinyanmi, who spoke during the launching of the programme, held at St. Louis Girls Grammar School, Akure, said the programme, which was the first of its type in Africa, was introduced to the state in May 2023 with a three-year pilot phase
According to Akinyanmi, MSTP was designed to provide youths with self-employment skills, entrepreneurial knowledge, and opportunities at the intersection of education and livelihood.
He said that the goal was to contribute to the economic transformation of Nigeria and Africa by creating a productive workforce that could fulfil the aspirations of the growing youth populace, their families and communities as well.
The co-founder of the programme, Lawrence Afere, said: “We are on a mission to create a new path for theworld by empowering children, teens, and youths with multi-skills that will transform them into solution providers.”
Also, the Co-Founder of LAHI, Sunanda Mane, said: “Hands-on learning and skills acquisition are critical for the growth, economic sustainability, and competitiveness of countries, and ultimately for employability.”
According to her, “we would like to move from the nine pilot schools to eventually covering all major schools in the state and, of course, some other states in Nigeria before venturing to other parts of Africa. MSTP is basically a project for Africa, taking root in Ondo State, Nigeria.”
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who launched the programme, appreciated LAHI and its partner ACCENT Spring Entrepreneurship for making Ondo State first among equals in launching the programme in the state.
Aiyedatiwa, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Segun Omojuwa, said: “The swinging pendulum of teaching and learning in developed and developing nations has shifted systematically from the ordinary quest for paper certificates to science, technology, and entrepreneurship (STE), which will open doors for the needed innovation and creativity to solve socio-economic challenges in our society.
“It was on this basis that our administration in Ondo State is fighting tooth and nail to ensure the continued provision of functional education and human capacity development for its citizenry.”
