In commemorating the 2021 edition of the World Youth Skills Day (WYSD), the Yes, We Are Winning Foundation recognised and awarded certificates of Achievements to some outstanding entrepreneurs who have distinguished themselves in business, through their vocational and technical skills.

The them of this year’s celebration is: “Reimagining Youth Skills Post pandemic.” In post-COVID-19 societies, young people are called upon to contribute to the recovery effort, by being equipped with the skills to successfully manage evolving challenges and the resilience to adapt to future disruptions. 

As part of her mandate, the YWAW foundation continues to promote acquisition of relevant technical and vocational skills, especially among Youths as a way of mitigating the effect of unemployment. Furthermore, we provide sponsorship opportunities to youths to learn and acquire relevant entrepreneural skills in their areas of interest.

In no particular order, here are our top eight young entrepreneurs:

JIMOH QUDUS OLAWALE

Jimoh Qudus Olawale is the CEO and Creative Director at QDJ Graphics Studios. Jimoh is a professional graphics designer and digital artist with a passion for excellence. His passion for drawing and creative designs spurred him to establish QDJ Graphics studio where though hard work, sponteinity and devotion, he provides services to his numerous clients as well as offers training for young entrepreneurs.

Jimoh is a muslim, and  a talented artist whose creative works have endeared him to many celebrities like Omawunmi to mention a few. You can contact QDJ Graphics on the following handles: Facebook: Qudus Jimoh, Instagram: @qdjgraphics. Here are some of his works:

 

Mina Musa

Mina Musa is the CEO Mina leather craft, located at Mowe Ogun State. In addition to manufacturing leather products, she also runs a leather work vocational centre where she train leather artisan aspirants in the craft. Training include all leatherware goods as well as training teachers who can teach leather work in High Schools and tertiary institutions, since the subject is among the compulsory trade courses.

Mina has been running this business for six years. Her challenges includes lack of funding, lack of motivation, and harassment, especially being a lady. In spite of the challenges in the business, Mina is inspired by her goal to be among the top most influential women in Africa.  She sees her challenges as stepping stones to greatness.

On the relevance of skills acquisition for youths, she believes that skill acquisition is important because it helps individuals to develop new ways of thinking and generate problem-solving attitudes.  Furthermore, skill acquisition also helps to be effective, reduces crime, reduces unemployment, and also boosts individuals’ self-esteem to cope and thrive in our dynamic world.

Her advise to the Youth is to divert the amount of energy and investment in fraud to acquire relevant skill that would empower them and place them in the position of impacting the society positively.

 

You can contact Mina on https://www.facebook.com/musa.motunrayoaminat

 

Victoria Eke

Miss Victoria Eke, is the owner of veequiexquisitecraft. Her journey started 7 years ago with bead making and other craft work such as Adire (Tye-die), Ankara bag and Accessories, hat making, macra bag making etc. After acquiring relevant skills at the Lagos State Skills Acquisition Center for 6 months, she decided to also acquire fashion skills. 

Being motivated by her love to see things decorated, and come together beautifully, she learnt fashion designing for 3 weeks, where she learnt basic sewing for skirts, gowns and padded blouses. Her versatility helped her to diversify into fashion designing when the bead-making business was no longer profitable.

Despite learning fashion designing for just 3 weeks, Victoria mastered her sewing skill by watching and practicing videos on YouTube. Even though she never intended being a fashion designer, she is glad she ceased the opportunity she had to acquire the skills that now pays her bills. Though, her challenge includes access to funds, and relevant sewing equipments, yet she is determined to keep pushing her way to the top.

Her advice to the youth is find what they love, put in the best of their time, learn and keep learning. She further enthused, “Today’s reality has proven that the cooperate world isn’t doing much for us, and acquiring relevant skill has been a surviving ground for young people. With the rate of unemployment, dissatisfaction and unhappiness in the land, the only way to escape not being a con artist is by being skilful and virtuous.

Here are few her works:

You can contact her on her handles: Instagram and Facebook @Veequiexquisitecraft

 

Edem Nelson Ikechukwu

Edem Nelson Ikechukwu is a creative graphic designer and social media manager. A graduate of Computer Scientist from the Lagos State Polytechnic, Edem is a lover of Christ and music, and also enjoys cooking and adventures.

FOS Creation was founded in 2018, as an online brand that is created to help SME’s, Personal brand, Big brands and Businesses create designs, bringing their imagination to reality and promotion. FOS is a greek word meaning light. And the first creation of God was light, as such at FOS creation seeks to light up businesses through design and social media management.

Nelson has worked as graphic designer with several organisations that has fuelled and sharpened his passion towards designing and online management. As a start-up he has faced lots of challenges such as- lack of resources and equipment, Low turnout of clients, trust issues, lack of funds and the country’s challenges too such as electricity. In spite of these, Nelson is determined to get better at what he does.

His word of encouragement to young entrepreneurs and the youth is to patiently learn the process and pursue excellence in their life’s endeavours. He advised young entrepreneurs never give up in spite of the challenges.

Check Nelson on his instagram handles @foscreate

 

Adigun Victor Fiyinfoluwa

Adigun Victor Fiyinfoluwa is a documentary photographer and a storyteller who began photography 3 years ago. He was the documentary photographer and a storyteller to black diamond support foundation a non governmental organization founded to cater for children in the slum of Lagos. He also currently works as  documentary photographer and storyteller for the office of the SSA to the governor on persons living with disabilities in Lagos state. 

Fagskill, as he’s popularly called has been passionate about photography since the age of 7. He choose documentary and story telling as his specialty, because it helps him to know the people closely, and he gets to understand their happiness, their joy, their pain, their suffering and he’s able thus tell their stories better.

Victor, who has recently volunteered to work with The YWAW as a documentary photographer, has faced severe challenges from Lagos boys who tries to task him or even struggle for his camera when taking pictures in the public. In spite of the economic hardship and its impact on business, Victor’s passion and love for photography keeps him going. 

You can connect with Victor on the following social media:

Facebook – adigun Pheyinfoluwar Fagskill, Instagram @fagskills, LinkedIn @adigun Victor

 

Abiola James

Abiola James is a mix engineer for Jacksandxlrs Maryland, Lagos. James have been into sounds design and Audio engineering for 8 years professionally. For him, it has been a roller coaster story since day one with lots of challenges ranging from access to funding and the economic situation of the country.

James has had to source for Funds from family and friends to buy some gadgets and workstations that he needed to start his business.  In spite of this, the talented mix engineer is thankful to God for helping him secure a job to jointly work on a project for  “Mr Music”, a private owned studio in Lagos.

You can reach Abiola James on: Twitter @5MFR2020, IG: emix_the_deal

 

Sharon Salami-Abiola

Sharon Salami-Abiola, CEO Glitteringstars12 have been in the fashion business for ten years now.

Her journey into the fashion industry was spurred by her dissatisfaction she got from fashion designers who could not deliver to her expectation. This made her to venture into acquiring skills in fashion designing whilst in the university. 

About her challenges, she’s battled with getting a perfect location for her business, as well as the problem of funding for acquisition of fashion equipments, as well as getting apprentists.

Sharon’s advice to youth is that it pays to be skilful, because it is the future for us to be independent since our country is not equipped to provide jobs for us all.

Sharon who is also skilled in hat making can be contacted on:IG: Glitteringstars12
FB:Glitteringstars12

 

 

Areo Oluwaseun Evelyn

Areo Oluwaseun Evelyn is the CEO Farm Fill NG, an Agribusiness established with the aim of providing neatly processed farm products to satisfy the rising demand for food in the country. The major product is catfish and they desire to own the largest catfish processing plant in West Africa. The Farm Fill NG is determined to achieve this feat through endless practice of excellence, wholesomeness and unrivalled customer satisfaction through the sterling quality of their products which is never breached..

Other products from Farm Fill NG include: Smoked catfish, Smoked chicken, Catfish pepper soup, Catfish barbecue, Tilapia pepper soup, Croacker pepper soup, Tilapia barbecue, Goat meat pepper soup, Chicken pepper soup. Evelyn whose vision is to make farm produce available to consumers (in urban areas) hope to include processed chicken, snail, beef, pork, rabbit etc in the future.

You can reach out to Oluwaseun on Instagram @velyn_kitchen, Facebook Areo Evelyn, LinkedIn Oluwaseun Areo

The Yes, We Are Winning Foundation is partnering with these entrepreneurs to empower interested youth in any area of interest. Should you want to benefit from our scholarship, Kindly send your application to info@yeswearewinning.com.

YWAW…WeCEEEyou!

#wysd #wysd2021, #skills #empowerment #SDG4 #entrepreneur

 

 

YWAW FOUNDATION COMMEMORATES WORLD YOUTH SKILLS DAY 2019 (PHOTOS)

https://www.un.org/en/observances/world-youth-skills-day