3,650 Youth to Benefit as Jobberman, Mastercard Expand Paid Internship Programme
- Jobberman Nigeria and Mastercard Foundation launched the second phase of its Associates Programme to address youth unemployment across West Africa
- The initiative aims to support 3,650 participants, particularly women, persons with disabilities, and internally displaced persons
- The programme will also help businesses access skilled talent, building on a first phase where over 68% of participants secured meaningful employment
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Oluwatobi Odeyinka is a business editor at Legit.ng, covering energy, the money market, technology, and macroeconomic trends in Nigeria.
Jobberman Nigeria, in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, has launched the second phase of its Associates Programme to tackle youth unemployment and underemployment by placing young professionals in paid internships across five West African countries.
The initiative targets individuals aged 18 to 34 in Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia, offering job search support, career development resources, and a 12-month work placement.
Source: UGC
Expanding opportunities for young professionals
Speaking at an employer onboarding event in Lagos, the Country Head of Programmes at Jobberman Nigeria, Olamide Adeyeye, noted that the programme builds on a long-standing partnership with the Mastercard Foundation focused on improving youth employability.
Adeyeye explained that while previous efforts concentrated on equipping young people with digital skills, the organisation identified a critical gap between training and real-world experience.
He emphasised that the current phase is designed to bridge that gap by combining skills development with practical, paid work opportunities that ease young people’s transition into the labour market.
Adeyeye said:
“This programme connects skilling with earning by giving young talent the opportunity to enter the workforce through paid internships.”
Driving inclusion and supporting businesses
According to Adeyeye, 375 participants benefited from the programme’s first phase, with more than 68 per cent securing meaningful employment afterwards.
The second phase, launched in October last year, aims to scale its impact by supporting 3,650 young people across the region, with a strong focus on inclusion.
Adeyeye noted:
“We are expanding into five West African countries; Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. The objective is to support 3,650 young people, with 70 per cent being women, five per cent persons with disabilities, and five per cent internally displaced persons, to gain valuable experience through internships and transition into dignified, fulfilling work.”
He added that beyond empowering young professionals, the initiative also supports small and medium-sized enterprises by giving them access to skilled talent without significantly increasing labour costs.
Source: UGC
Also speaking, Programme Coordinator for the Mastercard Foundation Associates Programme, Toluwani Aina, said the initiative addresses the challenges young people face when transitioning from education to employment.
She highlighted its inclusive approach and encouraged organisations to participate by hosting associates, noting that doing so would help strengthen talent pipelines and ease recruitment pressures.
Nigerian EdTech startups can access $100,000 funding
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that applications for the 2026 EdTech Fellowship Programme opened, offering $100,000 in equity-free funding.
The EdTech Fellowship Programme is a 12-month acceleration initiative focused on helping startups refine their products, scale their impact, and build sustainable business models.
Focused on supporting underserved communities, the scheme enhances access to quality education through technology.
Source: Legit.ng
