Adamawa group seeks jobs for trained youths through digital platform

A digital platform designed to connect trained artisans with people seeking their services has been introduced in Adamawa State.

The platform, OneDelegate, was unveiled in Yola alongside the annual report and five-year strategic plan of Binchke International.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Director of the organisation, Dr Elisha Belo, said an assessment had shown that many trained young people in the state remained unemployed despite having employable skills.

Belo said the lack of jobs could expose some youths to recruitment by criminal groups.

“We are linking them with those who need their services in the state, and we plan to scale it up in other states as well,” he said.

The Director of Innovation and Strategy, Jimuruna Leonard, said the platform was developed to address the gap between skills training and access to paying jobs.

He said artisans would register and undergo screening before receiving service requests through the platform.

According to him, customers would be able to track artisans during service delivery and submit reviews after jobs were completed.

“There are a lot of NGOs also that are training persons, but there is no way to deploy those skills and generate income,” Leonard said.

The platform covers services including plumbing, electrical work, carpentry, gas supply and waste disposal.

Representing the Adamawa State Government, the Director of the Donor Agency Department at the State Ministry of Planning Commission, Usman Moddibo Saleh, said the government supported the initiative.

He said it was consistent with the state’s priorities on employment, education and gender-related development.

The Executive Director of the Rural Agricultural Transformation and Empowerment Initiative, Chimda Musa, said the platform could also provide employment opportunities for internally displaced persons who had acquired skills but remained unemployed.

“This is long overdue, and I think these are some of the things that will take out most project participants out of poverty, especially those in the livelihood aspect,” Musa said.

The organisers said they planned to introduce a USSD option and a call-in service for residents without smartphones or reliable internet access.

The platform was first introduced in Yola, with plans to extend it to other parts of Adamawa State.