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Naija Entrepreneurship Academy Launched to Address Youth Unemployment

Naija Entrepreneurship Academy Launched to Address Youth Unemployment
By: Michael Mike
An entrepreneurship initiative – Naija Entrepreneurship Academy (NEA) has been launched as part of efforts to curb youth unemployment across the country.
The launch which is an initiative of a social development consultant, Fatima Sadiq Mohammed, followed the endorsement of Nigeria Governors’ Forum.
The project is an online portal that hosts free learning courses for prospective business owners as well as those already managing small businesses.
According to the lead champion of the initiative across West Africa, Poncelet Ileleji,
the training content, which covers subjects relevant to starting and growth of small and medium scale enterprises, was packaged by world class and experienced business owners.
Ileleji noted that with almost 48 per cent of Nigeria’s national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and over 85 per cent of all employment created by SMMEs, the need to support more people to start local businesses and reduce the risk of business failure was imperative considering that SMMEs are the backbone of society.
He said small businesses are essential to innovation and jobs, support for budding entrepreneurs must be tangible and cognizant of their reality. As such, the courses on the learning portal are designed for mobile devices, making them ideal for individuals with few resources at their disposal across all 36 states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory.
He assured that: “The academy is a further example of the power of partnership as The Start-Up Tribe, a global initiative that is already active in 451 cities and communities across 27 countries of the world, providing necessary assistance to people to start and grow their businesses, will administer the platform in partnership with Crystal Hands Empowerment Initiative (CHEI) and with a strong support and collaboration from the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).”
Ileleji added that Start-Up Tribe initiative has gained international recognition for addressing unemployment and promoting economic growth by providing valuable resources and educational opportunities to entrepreneurs.
The Naija Entrepreneurship Academy (NEA), which kicks off on Monday is accessible through Start-Up Tribe Academy website ( https://www.thestartuptribe.org/pages/nea ) with links for each state academy on the Nigerian map, offering a user-friendly platform for easy access to educational resources. Through periodic data analysis and support from the Start-Up Tribe team, the learning progress would be monitored and impacts measured for each State.
“Importantly, the implementation of NEA incurs no financial cost to anyone accessing the learning platform as it is fully funded by the Start-Up Tribe. With a customized syllabus and comprehensive back-end support, the Academy represents a valuable resource for local entrepreneurs looking to grow their businesses.
“The academies are customized for each state and offered to each governor as a powerful tool to assist their communities grow local economies and tackle unemployment, support micro and small businesses and improve the quality of life on the millions of Nigeria.
“The NEA initiative aimed at providing additional tool which will enable access to lots of free education in different sectors of Nigerian economy, including education, agriculture, livelihood as well as digital economy.”
“Our mission to help Nigerians realize their business dreams, elevate people from their current socio-economic status and create more job opportunities”, Ileleji said.
Naija Entrepreneurship Academy Launched to Address Youth Unemployment
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At Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation Citizens Engagement

At Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation Citizens Engagement:
President Tinubu Walking Hand In Hand With Nigerians Through Critical Reforms, Says VP Shettima
- Adds: Administration prioritising dialogue, flexibility in tax reforms, fuel subsidy removal, others
By: Our Reporter
The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has said that instead of governing Nigeria from a distance, the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is walking hand in hand with the people through critical national reforms.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the administration to inclusive governance and responsive policymaking rooted in wide-ranging public engagement and empathy.
Senator Shettima, who stated this on Tuesday in Kaduna at a 2-day interactive session on Government – Citizens Engagement, organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, said the Nigerian leader has demonstrated time and again that his administration is “neither crafting policy in solitude nor assuming that technocracy alone delivers results.”
Represented by the Special Adviser to The President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Dr Aliyu Modibbo Umar, the Vice President, declared that the Tinubu administration is convening conversations and institutionalising listening.
“It is always a privilege to gather under the luminous legacy of Sir Ahmadu Bello; his memory reminds us that leadership is not simply about occupying office, but about shouldering the burden of service. What we nurture today is not just a government of the people but a government with the people,” he said.
VP Shettima highlighted several reforms of the administration where public input significantly shaped final outcomes, including tax policy, education access, and economic relief measures following the removal of fuel subsidies.
On the student loan law, which was initially passed as the Access to Higher Education Act, the VP said in response, the administration repealed and reenacted the law, “removing income ceilings and guarantor barriers that had become symbolic walls between ambition and opportunity.”
Vice President Shettima reiterated the government’s belief that “no student should be disqualified for being born on the wrong side of poverty.”
On tax reforms, Senator Shettima said the administration established a Presidential Tax and Fiscal Reform Committee, which engaged stakeholders from across the country to address grey areas in the reforms.
“When objections arose from governors and citizens alike, the President did not dismiss them. He welcomed their candour and ensured tax bills passed through public hearings. Even unpopular taxes inherited from past regimes, like the 10% single-use plastic levy and telecom tax, were suspended after critical review,” he stated.
The VP also spoke about the contentious issue of fuel subsidy removal, saying the Tinubu-led federal government acknowledged the hardship faced by ordinary Nigerians and accompanied the policy with strategic responses.
He continued: “We met with labour unions not with threats, but with empathy. We offered palliative packages, increased wages, waived diesel taxes, and introduced alternatives like CNG buses to cushion transport costs. We were not merely reacting. We were responding.”
The Vice President said the reforms in other sectors of the economy followed the same pattern of engaging with the people and making necessary adjustments to the original propositions where necessary.
He further noted that every step of the way, President Tinubu showed concern for the people and emphasised the point that “governance is not a theatre of perfection but a process of correction and a government that listens is a government that learns. And a government that learns is a government that leads.”
He applauded the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation for sustaining the legacy of the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, describing it as “a torch of civic dialogue that must never be extinguished.”
At Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation Citizens Engagement
News
LIBERIA HONORS ECOWAS AND ECOMOG AT 178TH INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATONS*

LIBERIA HONORS ECOWAS AND ECOMOG AT 178TH INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATONS*
By: Michael Mike
Liberia’s 178th Independence Day celebration on the 26th of June 2025 served as a powerful tribute to regional unity and peacebuilding, with a spotlight on the enduring role of ECOWAS and ECOMOG in Liberia’s journey through civil conflict and reconciliation.

The ceremony welcomed high-level dignitaries from across West Africa, including the Presidents of Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, along with senior officials from Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, symbolizing Liberia’s strong ties within the sub-region.

In recognition of ECOWAS at 50, Liberia honored contributing member states of ECOMOG – Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone with awards presented by H.E. Joseph Nyuma Boakai, President of Liberia. Special honors were also given to past Executive Secretaries of ECOWAS who played pivotal roles during Liberia’s crisis, including H.E. Lansana Kouyate, H.E. Dr. Abass Chernor Bundu, and H.E. Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas.
LIBERIA HONORS ECOWAS AND ECOMOG AT 178TH INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATONS*
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GUINEA-BISSAU DEEPENS NATIONAL COMMITMENT TO THE WOMEN,PEACE, AND SECURITY AGENDA THROUGH ECOWAS-LED IN-COUNTRY CRFCAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP

GUINEA-BISSAU DEEPENS NATIONAL COMMITMENT TO THE WOMEN,
PEACE, AND SECURITY AGENDA THROUGH ECOWAS-LED IN-COUNTRY CRF
CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP
By: Michael Mike
From the 22nd to 24th of July, 2025, the ECOWAS Commission, through its Directorate of Humanitarian and Social Affairs (DAHS), in close collaboration with other relevant directorates and agencies, the Ministry of Women, Family and Social Solidarity of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, as well as the ECOWAS Women, Peace and Security Regional Steering Group (WPS-RSG), successfully organized a national capacity-building workshop in Bissau.
The three-day workshop, aimed at stakeholders and focal points of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, focused on the application of the African Union’s Continental Results Framework (CRC-UA), simplified and adapted to the West African context by the ECOWAS Commission for monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the WPS Agenda.
This initiative is part of ECOWAS’s ongoing efforts to strengthen national accountability
mechanisms and data systems, in support of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and related resolutions. It is implemented with the technical and financial support of the ECOWAS Peace, Security and Governance Project (EPSG), co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
(BMZ) and carried out with the support of GIZ.

In her opening speech, Her Excellency Maria Inácia Có Mendes Sanhá, Minister of Women, Family and Social Solidarity, underlined Guinea-Bissau’s ongoing commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment in peace-building processes. She reaffirmed the government’s support for the WPS Agenda, citing several national policies and legal frameworks, including the National Policy for Gender Equality and Equity (PNIEG), the Parity Law, as well as laws on gender-based violence and human trafficking.
Mrs. Cristina da Silva Pedreira, Director General of Regional Integration and Head of the ECOWAS National Unit at the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Integration, welcomed the participants, stressing that the workshop offered a platform for adapting continental frameworks to the local level and strengthening the role of women in sustain-
able development and peacebuilding in Guinea-Bissau.
She reaffirmed her ministry’s commitment to supporting ECOWAS processes in national institutions.
Directorate of Communication
Representing the ECOWAS Resident Representative, Her Excellency Ambassador Ngozi Ukaeje, Dr. Aishatu Morido Yanet praised the collaborative spirit that had animated the workshop and encouraged participants to take full advantage of the training to fill the data and coordination gaps, as highlighted in the first ECOWAS regional WPS report (2024).
She stressed that the CRC is not just a technical tool, but an essential accountabil-
ity mechanism ensuring the visibility and impact of women’s contributions to peacebuilding.
On behalf of the ECOWAS Director of Humanitarian and Social Affairs, Dr. Sintiki Tarfa Ugbe, Mr. Olatunde Olayemi, Program Manager for the Social Dimensions of Human Trafficking, stressed the importance of the CRC in institutionalizing monitoring and reporting on the WPS.
He pointed out that the Guinea-Bissau workshop is the ninth of its kind organized by ECOWAS, following similar initiatives in Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Nigeria, Liberia, Gambia, Togo, Senegal and Ghana.
“Women and girls must be visible actors in peace and governance,” he said, adding that the CRC’s simplified tool is a crucial step in ensuring evidence-based implementation and monitoring of national WPS commitments.
Speaking on behalf of the German government, Mr. Carsten Wille, Head of the Liaison Office of the German Embassy in Dakar and Guinea-Bissau, reaffirmed Germany’s strong commitment to feminist development cooperation and inclusive peacebuilding. “We areproud to support national actors through the EPSG project. Guinea-Bissau’s adherence to this CRC training demonstrates its willingness to strengthen its institutional response to
the gender dimensions of peace and security,” he asserted.
The workshop, led by Ms Tamwakat Elizabeth Golit, Integrated Expert on Women, Peace and Security for the EPSG Project at the ECOWAS Commission, and Ms Edineusa Lopes José da Cruz Figueiredo, President of the Institute for Women and Children, brought to-
gether over 35 participants from ministries, security institutions, civil society organiza-
tions, academia and the media. Through participatory exercises, group work and technical presentations, the workshop strengthened participants’ ability to use the CRC tool and its complementary questionnaire, enabling better monitoring of WPS indicators in line with national and regional frameworks.
At the close of the workshop, five gender assessment reports were officially handed over to the Office of the ECOWAS Resident Representative in Guinea-Bissau and to the ECOWAS National Office. During the presentation of the reports, Ms. Tamwakat Elizabeth Golit, the EPSG Project’s Integrated Gender Expert at the ECOWAS Commission, provided a summary of the main findings and practical recommendations for strengthening national coordination and policy responses.
She stressed the importance of transparency and collective ownership, pointing out that the reports are now publicly available via the ECOWAS website, to serve as a resource for advocacy, research and evidence-based decision-
making. Participants hailed the workshop as a timely initiative and called for further training, institutionalization of the CRC in national monitoring systems, and enhanced collaboration between stakeholders. They also expressed their willingness to contribute to the next national WPS reporting cycle using the simplified CRC tool.
The workshop concluded with a strong call to action: to take the Women, Peace and Security Agenda beyond political declarations, towards concrete and measurable impacts for women and girls in Guinea-Bissau and West Africa.
GUINEA-BISSAU DEEPENS NATIONAL COMMITMENT TO THE WOMEN,
PEACE, AND SECURITY AGENDA THROUGH ECOWAS-LED IN-COUNTRY CRF
CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP
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