₦airaland Forum

Last year, Nigeria's unemployment rate was estimated to stand at 33%, a 0.5% increase from the previous year. Government and organizations alike have been concerned with finding solutions to the problem of unemployment, especially with a predominately youthful population. The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) was established to address this problem and promote wealth creation in Lagos. Through the Lagos Innovates Programme, Honeywell Group and LSETF have partnered to tackle unemployment and give young people in the state the opportunity to lead better lives.
In a partnership spanning three years, Honeywell Group, as part of its commitment to fostering economic growth and development, has contributed to youth employment. By providing access to mentorship and hands-on training opportunities, the Lagos Innovates talent development initiative is set to graduate 77 beneficiaries from Cohort A.
The training, which began in September 2022 with 77 beneficiaries selected from a pool of 1,000 applicants, was facilitated by one of Lagos Innovates training partners, Dataleum. Beneficiaries were taken through a rigorous 4-month training exercise where they were exposed to data analytics training, soft skills training, stimulated interview sessions, and other job preparation activities.
The graduation ceremony which held on Friday, February 3, 2023 at The Philippi Centre, Oluwalogbon House, Ikeja, doubled as a career fair, where recruiters were present to interview beneficiaries.
Favour Adebayo, an excited beneficiary of the programme, described the programme as what she needed to change her life and thanked Honeywell Group, LSETF and Dataleum, the training partner. She said, “The talent development programme was transformational. The programme gave me direction and more opportunities. From acquiring soft skills I didn't know I lacked to intense hands-on practice, I am convinced that the only way from here is up!”
Commenting on the occasion, Honeywell Group’s Head, Corporate Services, Tomi Otudeko said: “We are proud of these beneficiaries who have worked tirelessly throughout the rigorous programme, and it has been a delight to see their faces light up. More importantly, we are encouraged by the impact this training has had on their lives and how it will cascade down to 77 communities across the state.
As a company, we are deliberate about investing in people and initiatives, that will allow us to make positive impact on communities and improve the lives of our stakeholders. This partnership with the Lagos State Government through LSETF is a key aspect of building the economy of the state and the nation. We look forward to the next session of the programme and being enablers for the expanding vision for the country.”
Lagos Innovates’ Head, Startups, Hakeem Onasanya, said: “One of the major highlights of this initiative, aside from the number of young people we are able to support, is hearing about its impact from the beneficiaries. I applaud the graduates for their commitment to the programme, and we are optimistic that the graduates will go on to do astounding work in their new career path and in service to Lagos State.”
While cohorts B and C are set to begin soon with other training partners, members of the public are encouraged to apply for the next selection round.

The Nigerian tech ecosystem ranks among the top five in Africa. By 2050, the country's tech ecosystem is expected to be worth $712 billion, according to the 2022 Startup Ecosystem Report. Despite these projections and Nigeria’s potential to rival more developed countries, its tech ecosystem still falls short of tech talents. Yewande Giwa, Head, Governance and Sustainability at Honeywell Group and Ireayo Oladunjoye, Head, Startups, Lagos Innovates discussed the need for public-private partnership in talent development on Traffic Radio (96.1 FM), Lagos. They also discussed Honeywell Group’s partnership with the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF). Tech enthusiasts and entrepreneurs, struggle with a talent shortage. While the tech enthusiast seeks proper, hands-on training, the entrepreneur is in search of skilled talents to scale his ideas. Unfortunately, not many people have the required skill set. This gap between talents and requisite skills is one of the problems the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund aims to solve through the Lagos Innovates Programme. Speaking on the need for public-private partnership in talent development and Honeywell Group’s partnership with LSETF, Giwa commented, “Honeywell Group has always invested in companies and initiatives that create lasting impact in the communities in which we operate. This partnership with LSETF isn’t just an avenue to give back to society, we see it as an opportunity to invest in the lives of young people in a way that leaves a lasting impact. For three years running, Honeywell Group has partnered with LSETF, providing young people interested in leveraging tech with an opportunity to get world-class training and internships. This year alone, over 260 participants were selected from a pool of 1000 applicants. One of the beneficiaries, Afolake, a graduate of Statistics, who had always been interested in data analytics was thrilled to have the chance to learn data analytics without having to pay heavily beforehand. She said, “Tech, particularly data analytics, has always piqued my interest. Every time I wanted to pursue it, I had to prioritize the needs of my family. When I lost my job during the pandemic, things became even harder, paying for fees to learn the skill was out of the question for me, so when this opportunity came, I couldn’t pass it off. Describing the objectives of the talent development programme, Ireayo Oladunjoye said; ‘‘The Lagos Innovates Programme is aimed at bridging the gap between tech talents and their dreams, whether it is to create jobs or get employed. We are focused on capacity building and flooding the Lagos tech ecosystem with talents that can compete with global standards. Through our partnership with HGL, we are able to reach more people and help them live better lives. Honeywell Group is a leading investment holding company that has a portfolio of diversified businesses in different sectors such as; technology, real estate, energy, infrastructure, and financial services. The Honeywell Group lives out its mission of creating enduring value that transcends generations through ways like funding and supporting startups and tech-enabled businesses. Its venture capital platform, Itanna, has an objective to champion entrepreneurial talent & disruptive technology and has invested in startups through accelerator programs and direct investments.