Africa’s technology industry is expanding at a rapid pace, and Nigeria is steadily advancing to become the continent’s leader in this industry.
According to a report compiled by fDi Intelligence, Nigeria has the most startups in Africa, with over 750 businesses getting $61.5 million in start-up-related funding in 2021 alone.
It is also no secret that young Nigerians are dominating the tech space globally. This is in part due to the increasing digital and tech literacy among Nigeria’s young populace. Honeywell Group’s partnership with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) on the Lagos Innovates Talent Development Programme is an initiative to build tech skills with an aim to provide greater employment opportunities and promote tech entrepreneurship.
This year, 260 beneficiaries have been selected from a pool of over 1000 candidates for the initiative. The opening ceremony held at the Watercress Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, saw in attendance 77 selected participants for the first cohort of the programme.
The programme which will last for 24 weeks, aims to help young people in Lagos State who meet the requirements to acquire the necessary skills to compete in today’s global marketplace. The initiative, which has been backed by Honeywell Group for three years, intends to equip successful applicants with mentorship and hands-on training opportunities.
The selected applicants for the initiative will be trained in full-stack development with JavaScript (React JS, NodeJs, Express and MongoDB + API Development); full-stack development for mobile applications (React Native, API Development); Python Programming for web and data science (PYTHON OOP, DJANGO & Data Science); frontend design and engineering: (UI/UX, HTML, CSS, ES6 & React JS).
Addressing the selected applicants, Honeywell Group’s Head of Corporate Services Tomi Otudeko said: “At Honeywell Group, we feel a deep sense of responsibility to young people in our community and a commitment to creating opportunities for them to thrive. Through this strategic partnership with LSETF, we aim to tackle the unemployment rate in Nigeria by increasing youth employability and contributing to the development of passionate young people looking to leverage the growing tech ecosystem to solve problems and generate innovative solutions on a global scale.”
She told the participants, “Congratulations on taking the first step. You are joining a network that wants to see you grow. Don’t take this opportunity for granted. Give your best during the training and remember that you are an ambassador of the programme.”
Also commenting on the initiative, Sheila Ojei, Director of Strategy, Partnerships and Stakeholder Management at Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), said: “Congratulations on taking this bold step to learn the fundamentals and skills you need to improve your market value. The selected applicants went through a rigorous screening process to ensure we had the best minds. LSETF and Honeywell Group have been working together with the clear goal of ensuring that people get jobs. We are keen on being the lead enabler of employability in Lagos State”
The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) is a platform built to tackle unemployment and promote entrepreneurship in Lagos State by empowering its residents with job and wealth creation opportunities. Over the years, LSETF has empowered Lagos residents across different demographics with various innovative programmes. LSETF enables innovation in the vibrant Lagos tech ecosystem through programmes that support founders and startups with infrastructure, funding, learning, and networks.
Honeywell Group’s collaboration with Lagos Innovate, a programme by LSETF, has benefited several participants in Lagos State.
Honeywell Group is a Nigerian investment company that operates diversified businesses in different sectors such as; technology, telecommunications, real estate, energy, infrastructure, and financial services. Honeywell Group remains committed to making impactful contributions within its local communities and beyond.
While selected participants are expected to begin classes on September 20, 2022, Cohort B and cohort C will commence concurrently at a later date. There is also a rolling application for the fourth batch of participants. Some training partners include Skill Paddy, The Nest, DesignU, GOMYCODE, Seed Builders Innovation Hub, Slate Cube, Soft Work Freelance Network, Univelcity, Dataleum and Torilo Academy.
