The Eastside Foundation has announced the 16 beneficiaries of its Paid-to-Learn Tech Scholarship Programme, aimed at empowering youth in the Southeast of Nigeria.
In a statement released by the foundation on Thursday, this was the second edition of the scholarship programme sponsored by the foundation, which is a corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of Eastside Ventures.
The chairman of Eastside Ventures and founder of Voice of the East Media, Gaius Chibueze, in a recent statement via his verified Facebook page, noted that, eight months ago, the foundation launched the Tech Skill Acquisition Programme alongside the establishment of a tech hub and training centre in Enugu State.
Chibueze stated that, with the tech scholarship programme, their mission─ within the next five years─ is to empower at least a million youths with marketable tech skills such as app development, data analysis, and cybersecurity.
“At Eastside Foundation, we are focused on building locally and exporting globally. Our initiatives are not just about empowering individuals; they are about shaping the future of our community and driving sustainable development in the Southeast region and beyond,” he said.
Chibueze further said that before the inception of the tech scholarship programme, they had engaged with over 200 young people who had participated in similar tech skill acquisition programmes.
“Through these conversations, we identified a common challenge. To address this, we devised an innovative approach by providing our students with a monthly allowance above Nigeria’s minimum wage.
“We are proud to offer a monthly allowance of N50,000 for the duration of the 3- to 6-month programme, enabling our students to fully focus on their learning and become immediately employable upon completion,” he added.
Chibueze seized the opportunity to announce the launch of their talent scouting programme called Fagaruya, designed to connect their scholarship graduates with opportunities at multinational companies in Nigeria and abroad.
“With Fagaruya, we are confident that none of our scholarship graduates will face challenges in securing employment opportunities post-training,” he said.