Why We’re Backing Nigeria’s Next Generation of Tech Talent

Every year, thousands of young Nigerians finish school and start looking for work. Many of them are bright and hardworking, and many already have a degree. Far too many still end up waiting for months, sometimes years, for a job that matches what they can do.

At TIYE Africa we see this up close. Employers keep asking for people who can build, design and ship digital products. Meanwhile, the young people who could fill those roles often can’t afford the training that would get them there. The skills gap gets most of the attention, but for many of them the real problem is the cost of closing it.

That’s why we’ve partnered with Grazac Academy to sponsor tech training for young Nigerians.

Why we chose Grazac Academy

When we spoke with Victor Adeleye, Grazac’s co-founder and CEO, he named cost as one of the biggest reasons talented young people never get started in tech. His team built the academy to lower that barrier. They also wanted to make sure students leave ready for an actual job, not just holding a certificate.

The academy’s goal is to place at least 350 young people in entry-level tech jobs every year. We liked that it measures success by jobs.

Students choose one of four tracks:

  • Product Design
  • Front-end Web Development
  • Back-end Web Development
  • Mobile Application Development

No prior experience is needed. Training runs for five months, partly online and partly in person. After that, students do an internship where they work on real projects with real deadlines. That’s often the first time they experience what the job is like day to day, and it’s what employers want to see on a CV.

More than code

Deborah Oladele, who manages the programme, makes a point we agree with. Technical skills might get you hired, but how you communicate, work with a team and carry yourself at work decide whether you stay and grow. That’s why Grazac builds soft skills into the training instead of treating them as an extra.

Why this matters to us

TIYE Africa (Technology Initiative for Youth Empowerment) exists to give young and underserved people the digital skills to take part in the economy that’s growing around them. Sponsoring this training is one of the most direct ways we can do that.

When one young person gets a tech job, the benefits spread. Families get support, local businesses find skilled hands, and communities gain people who can build solutions to their own problems. We’d like to see a lot more of that happen.