As investment in youth skills and employability programmes in Nigeria continues to grow, so does the pressure on funders to show that the money leads to jobs and lasting change. Recognising this, ALX Africa convened foundations, non-governmental organisations and development partners from across Nigeria to a roundtable discuss themed “From Funding to Outcomes”, a roundtable focused on turning investment in young people into measurable results.
Speaking at the session, held on Wednesday at ALX’s Lagos office in Surulere, Ruby Igwe, Regional Manager for West and Central Africa at ALX, said the sector’s challenge lies less in funding than in how programmes are delivered.
In her words, “There is real money going into youth skills and employability in this country, but too many programmes do not deliver the jobs and the change they promised. They rarely fail at the funding stage. They lose their way in the middle, in how they are delivered. That is the gap we want to close.”
Bringing to bear its expertise as a technical, delivery and implementation partner for organisations seeking to run youth programmes at scale, ALX points to its track record in Nigeria, where more than 150,000 young people have gone through its programmes and moved on to jobs, careers and improved livelihoods.
At the roundtable, participants shared what is working in youth development, where programmes are falling short, and what they need from delivery partners to achieve measurable impact. The conversation also explored how funders and partners can work together to reach more young Nigerians with programmes that lead to jobs and livelihoods.
Notable attendees at the roundtable included Olaolu Akogun, Acting Executive Director of Junior Achievement Nigeria; Olorunfemi Micheal, Secretary of the Rotary Club; Temitope Okunnu, Founder of FABE International Foundation; and Anita Agbakoba, Growth and Partnership Manager at TechQuest STEM Academy.
The platform’s support for learners continues after training ends, as graduates have access to mentorship opportunities. The learning platform also runs regular grant readiness sessions to help them position themselves for funding opportunities.
ALX is part of the African Leadership Group, which has spent 22 years expanding access to opportunity for young Africans. Across the continent, ALX has trained more than 374,000 young people, of whom 258,000 have secured employment and 60,000 have built livelihoods through entrepreneurship using the skills they acquired.
ALX extends the same focus on results to established organisations through ALX Enterprise, its business-to-business offering. ALX Enterprise works with organisations across Africa to develop leaders, strengthen teams and build the digital skills that drive performance. Each engagement begins with a consultation on the organisation’s specific challenges, and results are measured against the change agreed at the outset, an approach that reflects the shift from funding to outcomes at the heart of the roundtable.
For foundations, NGOs and development partners, this means ALX can support both the young people their programmes serve and the teams responsible for delivering those programmes.