The Junior Achievement Nigeria (JA Nigeria), in collaboration with Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, has equipped over 1000 young girls during an empowerment programme recently.
The move, the group said, was aimed at impacting on them leadership skills while bridging the gender equality gap.
Speaking at the 20th Leadership, Empowerment, Achievement and Development (LEAD) Camp, Executive Director of JA Nigeria, Foluso Gbadamosi, said the training was important “because we believe young girls should be equipped with life skills needed to assume leadership positions in the nearest future. Since the programme started in 2000, we have reached over 1,000 girls.”
Chief Brand Marketing Officer, Union Bank, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem said it was refreshing to see the tremendous impact the programme has had on the young girls through the years.
Ekezie-Ekaidem, who pledged the bank’s continued support, commended the passionate efforts of the JA Nigeria team in creating a more sustainable future.
“Union Bank is delighted to partner with JA Nigeria for the seventh year, to organise the LEAD camp. This sustained partnership is a strong indication of our commitment to supporting the push for gender balance,” she said.
Marvelous Olabanji, a 2021 LEAD camp participant from Topfield Schools, Lagos, said: “I appreciate Junior Achievement Nigeria and Union Bank for their continuous support, for selecting me to be a part of LEAD Camp 2021. My experience was very amazing, I learnt a lot like coding, vision boarding, goal setting, personal hygiene, critical thinking. I know with this great knowledge I have acquired, I am going to impact the lives of so many young girls.”
The LEAD Camp, which addressed the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5: ‘Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women and Girls’, is an annual week-long programme designed to identify and coach exceptional female students from across Nigeria.
The programme is designed to inspire and prepare young girls to become high-achieving leaders. To foster this mission, each year, participants are taken through a series of activities, including leadership and empowerment, workshops, and panel sessions with leading women from the private and public sectors in Nigeria.
