Junior Achievement Nigeria has launched a new national programme focused on empowering teachers to scale entrepreneurship education across secondary schools in Nigeria.
The initiative, called School-to-Work Educational Transitions for Long-Term Youth Fulfilment (SET4LYF), was unveiled during a virtual media parley on Tuesday. The programme is designed to strengthen education-to-employment outcomes by training educators and expanding access to entrepreneurial learning for vulnerable populations.
Speaking during the session, Country Director for SET4LYF, Olaolu Akogun, said the programme will equip teachers and ensure more inclusive access for learners, particularly those historically underserved in the school system.
“The initiative is specifically designed to equip Nigerian secondary school girls, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and persons with disabilities (PWDs) with the essential skills, knowledge, and opportunities needed for a successful transition to work, entrepreneurship, or higher education,” he said.
Akogun emphasised the need for broad institutional collaboration to deliver sustainable impact. “We need to bring more people on board stakeholders, government agencies, and development partners. We want to be inclusive, bridging the gap with this program,” he added.
According to him, SET4LYF will reach 31 states across the country and will intentionally include 5% of girls with disabilities and 10% of girls who are internally displaced to ensure equitable access to entrepreneurial education.
He noted that the national convening is centred on empowering teachers, seeing them as catalysts who can shape how young Nigerians think, innovate, and build enterprises in a fast-evolving economy.
The programme will bring together educators, school leaders, government officials, private sector players, and NGOs to define actionable strategies for preparing students for self-reliance and future work opportunities.
Akogun also stressed the importance of government partnership in sustaining long-term intervention. “For anything to thrive, it needs the right environment. We need the support of the government in this,” he stated.
The initiative is expected to further strengthen the role of teachers in transforming entrepreneurial learning in Nigerian schools while advancing the country’s broader goal of youth empowerment and enterprise development.
