JamaJama, a non-governmental organisation has empowered artisans and apprentices with skills, tools, and support during its JamaJama Empowerment Day held in several parts of the country.
Development Diaries reports that JamaJama Empowerment Day is a community-based initiative designed to support artisans, apprentices, and children with practical skills, especially those working in Nigeria’s large informal sector.
With millions of Nigerians depending on small trades to survive and many young people lacking access to training, tools, and stable work, the initiative seeks to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity.
Speaking at the event, the spokesperson for the organisers, Abiola Sadik, said the programme was created to ‘provide real opportunities for children and artisans while restoring hope to families’.
She explained that the event featured games and learning activities for children, alongside the distribution of books, food, and beverages.
‘Children who are already developing skills were also given basic tools to support their talents and encourage self-reliance’, she added.
According to Sadik, the empowerment day reflects JamaJama’s wider mission of ‘identifying talent, creating access to work, and building confidence in the next generation’.
She noted that this is especially important in a country where many skilled young people are forced into informal work without structure or support, despite having the ability to earn a decent living if given the right platform.
She recalled a standout moment during the event when a father, after learning about the initiative, brought his eight-year-old son to the venue.
‘The child had been cutting hair on the streets to survive’, Sadik said. ‘Through the JamaJama platform, he was engaged on the spot as an artisan’.
For the family, the moment marked a shift from street survival to a more organised and dignified source of income.
Sadik added that the Empowerment Day is only an early step in JamaJama’s long-term efforts to support artisans, nurture creativity, and contribute to building a stronger future for Nigeria and Africa.
‘Our goal is to make sure talent is not wasted and that people, no matter how young, can see a clear path to work and dignity’. she said.
Source: Daily Trust
Photo source: JamaJama/TikTok
