Africa
THE Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya, has said that the Foundation is committed to youth development and building entrepreneurial skills in order to bridge employment gaps in Nigeria.
Speaking in a panel discussion at the 7th annual Project Management Institute (PMI) Africa conference held in Lagos Sanya stated: “At MTN Foundation, we understand that education is a path. We believe innovation is formal education agnostic.
We understand that everyone may not go through the four walls of formal school. Young people think about the future, the gratification and the job they want to do. So, for us, this is critical. It became clear to us what we can do to make an impact, and that is youth development in Nigeria.
“In terms of education, we have what we call the MTN Foundation scholarship scheme, focused mainly on STEM. We also have scholarships for blind Nigerians. These are scholarships of excellence and it is amazing what these youth can do. We also work with our ecosystem partners to train and retrain youth, in areas of entrepreneurship. We do what we call the ICT & entrepreneurship training.
“Over time, we have given about 12, 000 scholarships. At the Foundation, these are some ways we marry education and entrepreneurship in communities where we operate.”
Also speaking at the event, Managing Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, Project Management Institute (PMI), George Asamani said:
“When we look at the journey of young people in Africa, there are certain challenges they come across. Education and entrepreneurship are two avenues with which they can make it through.”
-Vanguard
KN
Tags: George Asamani MTN Foundation Odunayo Sanya
