With the growing concern of the limited opportunities available for Nigerian youths and platforms for them to grow and nurture their talents, a Non Governmental Organization, the Richard George Foundation (RGF), has unveiled its digital learning hub in Abuja.
RGF Founder, Richard George told journalists at the inauguration that the centre was expected to serve as a knowledge hub for raising young talented Africans, who would become real change-makers.
George explained that RGF was birthed out of the necessity to provide empowerment for young talented graduates through skills acquisition development, either technical or soft skills; education through an informal structure; and entrepreneurship opportunities.
H expressed the hope that the facility would provide an opportunity for innovation and ideas that will engineer business start-up for tomorrow’s young talented Nigerians.
According to him, since its inception on the 22nd of November, 2022, no fewer than 52 mentees had been mentored in the first cohort, with another set of 50 mentees being onboarded to commence the second cohort in mid-October.
“It is a continuous exercise and our mentorship programme is designed for only six months at a time. And, we also create opportunities for the mentees to undertake internships in several organizations that are partnering with us or supporting our vision.
“We also provide the opportunity for them to continue their learning or choose a different career part,” he added.
The RGF founder highlighted some challenges posing limitations to the aspirations of young African men and women including the inability of several young graduates to own digital gadgets such as laptops or devices for continuous learning improvement, resources for data, and internet connectivity and reliability.
These limitations, according to him, affect the continuous growth of the mindset of several of the nation’s young talents. He further said that unemployment had social issues and consequences for its targeted demography of 18 to 35 years.
Highlight of the inauguration was the symbolic cutting of tape for the facility by Astrid Arens, President/Founder, Voice Aid Association, Germany, one of the partners of the Foundation.