Funmi Ogundare

Oando Foundation, yesterday, inaugurated the Green Youth Upskilling Programme (GYUP) in an effort aimed at tackling youth unemployment, climate change and equipping young Nigerians with practical green skills to create pathways into Nigeria’s emerging circular economy.

Speaking at the launch in Lagos, Ms. Tonia Uduimoh, Head of Oando Foundation, explained the initiative is designed to equip a new generation of change makers with the tools, mindset and vision to lead Nigeria into a more sustainable future and driving climate action.

 She cited a recent statistics saying that 12.5 per cent of Nigerian youth aged 15 to 24 are currently not in education, employment, or training, and the green economy is projected to generate over two million jobs by 2030.

Selected from a pool of over 8,000 applicants, Uduimoh stated the first cohort of 25 participants tagged ‘Green Champions’, will undergo 9 months of intensive training in renewable energy, sustainable waste management, climate tech, and green enterprise development.

Participants will also receive mentorship and seed funding to launch climate-smart businesses and community-based projects.

“This program is not just about training,” Uduimoh said. “It’s about creating leaders of tomorrow who will protect the environment and drive inclusive economic growth.”

The GYUP, she added, is part of the foundation’s broader LEARNOVATE strategy, particularly its PLANET pillar, which focuses on climate-sensitive education and skills development.

“Implemented in collaboration with the Nigeria Climate Innovation Center, the program is designed to be scalable and replicable across the country,” she stated, adding that the foundation, known for its commitment to improving basic education since 2011, is now expanding its reach to youth empowerment through sustainability-focused initiatives.

  Uduimoh described the launch as the beginning of a greener, smarter, and more inclusive future for Nigeria, while appealing to the participants to embrace innovation, think entrepreneurially, and lead with purpose carrying forward the responsibility of creating jobs, protecting the environment and inspiring their peers.

In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre (NCIC), Bankole Oloruntoba, explained that the key obstacle preventing green startups and SMEs from thriving is the shortage of technical expertise, especially in operational and maintenance roles across renewable energy and circular economy value chains.

“We have worked with startups and emerging companies, and the bridge between managing and becoming a successful green business is the lack of technical skills. This project aims to fix that,” he stated.

The GYUP, he noted, is a strategic, demand-driven project designed to equip Nigerian youth with hands-on skills that are directly applicable to the labor market.

The program is organised in three major phases; sector mapping and stakeholder engagement, technical training and apprenticeship, as well as post-training grant support.

The NCIC, he said, is working with several technical partners and foundations to deliver the training, with a strong focus on sustainability.

 According to Oloruntoba, this isn’t just about creating new jobs, it’s also about sustaining existing ones and enhancing operational efficiency to reduce overhead and management costs for businesses in the green sector.

“We cannot just talk about unemployment, we must act. The green economy presents an alternative and growing economic pathway, and Nigeria must build early systems to take advantage of that,” he said.

The training and apprenticeship phase of the project, the CEO noted, will begin in the coming weeks, and participants will be selected based on clear performance metrics including consistency, commitment, responsiveness, and people management skills during placements.

His words: “A grant support phase will follow after 9 months, with details on how beneficiaries will be selected to be released soon.

“This is not just training for training’s sake. We want participants to learn at every point along the value chain and emerge employable, entrepreneurial, and impactful.”

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