Alaro City Partners Etiwa Tech to Equip Young Nigerians with International Trade Certifications

Etiwa Tech, a technical training academy, has partnered with Alaro City, a multi-billion-dollar mixed-use city development firm, to equip a new cohort of vocational graduates with international trade certifications, aiming to combat youth unemployment in Nigeria.

The graduation ceremony celebrated 44 young men and women who had successfully completed an intensive, seven-week training programme across four distinct technical trades: heating, ventilation, and air conditioning; electrical wiring; plumbing; and masonry. The graduates will receive Continuing Professional Development accreditation from the United Kingdom, in addition to the official Trade Test Certification issued by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment. This collaboration, now in its third cohort, aims to provide direct pathways to immediate employment and entrepreneurship across West Africa.

Speaking during the graduation ceremony, Managing Director of Etiwa Tech, Mrs. Jody Adewale, praised the resilience of the students and highlighted the structural value of technical skills to the regional economy.

Adewale said: “Nigeria is full of talented and skilled people, and we can see that investing in skills has a lot of benefits, both financially and in terms of expressing yourself as a human being. Whether digital skills or vocational skills, you need to develop a skill and learn a craft because if a job is not readily available, you should be able to use those skills to make a living.”

The training curriculum combined rigorous practical workshops with personal discipline and professional ethics to prepare the students for real-world workplace challenges, drawing candidates through a strict selection process focused on indigent residents from Epe and Ibeju-Lekki.

Also speaking at the event, Head of Corporate Affairs at Alaro City, Ms. Oluwaseyi Ashade, urged the graduands to maintain high operational standards as they enter the industrial market.

Reflecting on the impact of the programme, a graduate of the electrical wiring trade who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Ms. Oluwadamilola Adeshafe, noted how the scheme bridges the gap between formal education and employment.

Another beneficiary who studied Masonry, Mr. Okonkwo Echezona Martins, emphasised that the training has changed his perspective on vocational labour and shaped his entrepreneurial dreams.