In Nigeria, Premier Skills has built a strong partnership with the Lagos and Kano State Football Association to empower grassroots coaches to address the needs of their local communities and tackle social issues such as violence against women and girls, a lack of female participation in sport, and poor school attendance rates.
Coach educators trained through the programme have gone on to create social impact and promote diversity and inclusion by engaging young people in sustainable community projects, including:
Premier Skills Schools’ Club
Currently in its pilot phase, this extra-curricular schools project is delivered by ten Premier Skills coach educators in collaboration with local PE teachers. It runs in ten Schools and two community clubs in Lagos and Kano.
The Help the Talent Academy and Youth Sport Initiatives
These youth-focused community clubs are both led by Premier Skills coach educator Chinasa Ukandu.
‘We use the popularity of football to address issues that affect children by engaging them in safe, fun and progressive sessions, which encourage them to stay in school and complete their primary and secondary education.
Chinasa, Premier Skills Coach Educator, Nigeria
Reach
- 823 grassroots coaches and referees trained
- 25,319 young people engaged through inclusive community football projects
- 42 per cent female participation amongst young people
Key partnerships
- Lagos State Football Association
- Lagos Ministry of Education
- Kano State Sports Commission
- Kano State Ministry of Education
- Youth Empowerment Development Initiative (YEDI)
- Society for Women Development and Empowerment of Nigeria (SWODEN)
- Adolescent Health and Information Projects (AHIP)
