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By Katherine Diakpomere
Diageo Nigeria, in collaboration with Celebrate Life, the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund and the Lagos State Government has trained over 150 young Nigerians on hospitality and entrepreneurship skills.
The programme, tagged, ‘2026 Learning for Life’ is a youth employability initiative focused on hospitality, entrepreneurship and workplace readiness
The programme brought together government officials, hospitality stakeholders, private sector leaders and beneficiaries to celebrate the graduation ceremony of the 150 young Nigerians in Lagos.
Speaking during the event, the Executive Assistant to the General Manager of Diageo Nigeria and current Learning for Life Project Manager, Chiamaka Anenechukwu, described the initiative as a long standing programme aimed at removing barriers to employment for young people.
“Learning for Life did not just start. It’s not a new programme, but it has been in existence. We ran this in 2008 in Latin America, and we had something very simple in mind. It was just a belief to break down the walls of barriers to employment for the young people,” she said.
She noted that the initiative had impacted over 200,000 beneficiaries across 21 countries, including Ghana, Uganda, South Africa and Tanzania.
“Globally, over 59 percent of Learning for Life beneficiaries are women and here in Nigeria, we have 68 percent of our graduates who are females,” she added.
Providing details of the programme in Nigeria, she disclosed that over 1,100 young people applied, while 740 candidates were shortlisted. “Out of the shortlisted applicants, 303 participants completed the intensive classroom training in hospitality, health and hygiene, personal branding, financial literacy and conflict management,” she stated.
She further revealed that 157 participants proceeded to complete the 11-week internship placement across hotels, restaurants, bars and lounges in Lagos State.
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“This programme is not just built for numbers; it was built for intent,” she told the graduates.
Speaking on behalf of the Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, commended the initiative for addressing youth unemployment through practical skills acquisition.
“The Learning for Life initiative reflects a practical and forward looking approach to youth development by equipping participants with relevant skills in hospitality and entrepreneurship, employability and healthy workplace culture,” she said.
Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Abubakar Ogunlende, emphasised the need for stronger collaboration between the government and the private sector in tackling youth unemployment.
Representing the Lagos State Ministry of Tertiary Education, Mrs. Oluwakemi Yetunde Kalesanwo, who heads the Lagos State Agency for Mass Education, described the programme as a celebration of empowerment, achievement and opportunity.
“The Learning for Life programme is highly commendable for its focus on practical hospitality, entrepreneurship and employability skills at a time when skills development and youth empowerment are critical to our economic growth and social stability,” she said.
One of the highlights of the event was the testimony of one of the graduates, Faustina Onyinye, who narrated how the programme transformed her life after years of hardship.
“I’ve lost both my parents,” she revealed emotionally. “From then on, life has not been very unkind.”
She explained that although she was initially sceptical about the programme, she eventually applied, describing the decision as a leap of faith.
Officials at the event disclosed that the next phase of the programme would focus on strengthening partnerships, expanding access to training opportunities, and deepening support for youth employability in Lagos State.
