‘MTN Foundation boosts offers youth dev’t with 12,000 scholarships’

The MTN Foundation in Nigeria has given over 12,000 scholarships in its efforts to boost youth development.

The Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya, stated this during a panel discussion at the 7th annual Project Management Institute (PMI) Africa conference this week in Lagos.

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She said in terms of education, the Foundation’s scholarship scheme, focused mainly on Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (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 and 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,” noted Sanya.

She stressed that the Foundation is committed to youth development and building entrepreneurial skills, in order to bridge employment gaps in Nigeria.

Odunayo joined other experts such as Executive Director, Anzisha Prize, Josh Adler; Social Impact Manager, Project Management Institute (PMI), Laura Davidson; Principal Corporate Services and Communications, Mount Kenya University Foundation, Peter Wander and Secretary General of Committee of Vice- Chancellors, Nigeria, Professor Yakubu Ochei, to speak on the theme, “Education and Entrepreneurship-Building a Bridge to Employment”.

Speaking about MTN Foundation’s investment in education and entrepreneurship, Odunayo said: “For us 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.” 

A 2021 report by the World Bank shows youth unemployment in Nigeria at 19.6 per cent. These statistics show the unemployment rate in Nigeria is among the highest in Africa. A similar report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) revealed that over one in five young people in Africa were not in employment, education, or training (NEET) in 2020, and the trend keeps deteriorating.

Also speaking, the Managing Director, Sub-Saharan Africa, 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 they can make it. However, statistics show a wide disparity. So clearly, there is a gap between the students coming out of school and the jobs. But what we know is, there are lots of organisations working to address this, and that is why we are here.”