The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, alongside stakeholders in the education, financial, and development sectors, has urged Nigerians to embrace skills acquisition and vocational empowerment, while commending FirstBank for its investment in youth- and women-focused capacity development initiatives across the country.

This was disclosed in a Sunday statement from the partners. Speaking at the graduation ceremony of 50 women from a vocational and entrepreneurship training programme sponsored by FirstBank Nigeria Limited in partnership with the African Projects Development Centre in Gwagwalada, Abuja, a representative of the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Saratu Salawu, described skill acquisition as a critical tool for addressing unemployment, poverty, and economic inequality in the country.

She urged the graduates to make productive use of the skills acquired. “Do not sit back and wait for someone to arrange a job for you.

It is important to have something meaningful you can do for yourself and your community,” she said.

Mrs Nkechi Mathew, who represented the pioneer Mandate Secretary of the Women Affairs Secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, described the graduation as evidence that Nigerian women are prepared to contribute meaningfully to economic development.

Salawu, Mathew, and other participants commended the “You First Fashionistas Training Programme” by FirstBank and APDC, which was launched to equip participants with practical skills in fashion design, hair styling, and makeup artistry as part of efforts to tackle youth unemployment and encourage entrepreneurship in Nigeria’s creative and beauty industries.

The training began on September 16, 2025, and is expected to run until December 18, 2026, culminating in a fashion fair in 2027.

According to FirstBank, the initiative is expected to support economic growth by equipping beneficiaries with practical skills that enable them to create products, earn income, and improve their livelihoods.

The bank said participants had already begun producing clothes and other creative items for commercial purposes, adding that the programme was designed to move women into the active economy through income-generating skills in fashion, hair styling, and makeup artistry.

The bank urged the graduates to become job creators rather than job seekers.

FirstBank added that the partnership with APDC aims to empower 200 women within one year through four cohorts of 50 participants each, describing the initiative as part of its commitment to sustainable economic empowerment and corporate social responsibility.

Speaking at the event, APDC Managing Director, Chiji Ojukwu, said the organisation established its vocational and entrepreneurship programmes to address rising youth and women unemployment in Nigeria.

He disclosed that APDC had trained about 10,000 youths in various sectors over the past eight years, with its fashion and beauty programme benefiting nearly 500 women across nine cohorts.

Ojukwu said the initiative was designed to help beneficiaries become self-reliant business owners and employers, while revealing plans for a fashion fair to showcase trainees’ products and services to investors and customers.

He added that APDC, which began with agricultural training, now runs about 15 empowerment programmes and has received support from financial institutions, including FirstBank, as part of broader youth empowerment efforts.