Google Nigeria has entered into partnership with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to conduct IOM’s first Digital Skills Training for returnees and potential migrants in Edo State and Lagos State.
The training has, however, drawn 93 participants, including returning migrants, interested in setting up small-scale businesses as well as mentorship and job placement opportunities. The one-day training consisted of hands-on sessions on how to build participants’ online presence and improve their search campaigns, job-seeking skills online.
According to the organisers, most Nigerian returnees are between the ages of 18-35, and many of them return with knowledge, skills and experiences they gained prior to or during their migration experience.
IOM’s partnership with Google highlights the private sector’s contribution to returnees’ sustainable reintegration in Nigeria.
The Growth Tribe Africa trainer for Google Digital Skills Programme, Temitope Saliu, said: “This training is aimed at helping participants start a career in digital marketing, be encouraged to build digital startups, and advance in the workplace.
“The initiative complements the traditional business skills training, which equips Nigerian returnees with the knowledge and skills to prepare themselves for the next steps in their reintegration and kick-start small businesses. Business skills training is an opportunity for returning migrants to meet one another and allow returnees to share their experiences and pool together their in-kind assistance, skills, and resources to establish more sustainable businesses.
“Since 2017, IOM’s reintegration support has contributed to the development of over 44 different types of small-scale businesses in all Nigeria. Following the event, the trainees will have access to the Google Digital Skills for Africa e-learning platform to continue their learning.”
IOM Nigeria Programme Support Officer – Migrant Protection and Assistance, Alex Cole, added that “the digital skills training will help improve the participants’ use of digital skills to contribute to their economic growth as entrepreneurs, thereby filling in critical gaps in the labour market, fitting their businesses within existing supply chains, and invariably contributing to development.”
