Kings Trust International and Islamic Relief join forces to transform young people’s futures across West Africa.
King’s Trust International has launched a major new partnership with Islamic Relief to support thousands of young people across West Africa over the next three years.
Focusing on three countries, the partnership will create pathways to quality employment for young people in Nigeria by fostering entrepreneurial thinking, strengthening employability and building confidence among those aged 18–35. It will also support education programmes in Sierra Leone and Ghana, equipping junior high school students with core skills such as communication, emotional awareness, confidence, inclusion and teamwork.
The need is urgent. More than 10 million young people are expected to enter the workforce across the region in the next three years, yet job creation is not keeping pace. At the same time, education systems are struggling to adapt to rapidly changing workplace demands, leaving many young people without the skills needed to succeed. As a result, many are forced into informal work that is insecure, underpaid and lacking
The partnership builds on a strong track record of impact. In Sierra Leone, 98% of young people reported that previous education programmes supported their wider studies, while in Nigeria, 97% moved into employment or self-employment within six months of completing a King’s Trust International programme.
Iris, a 12-year-old participant from Skills for School in Ghana, said:
“I felt like I did not want to come to school anymore. I thought I would stop because I was not good in my studies. Now, I come to school with happiness and confidence. I was not brave and always looked down on myself, thinking I could not do things. Going through the sessions, I realised that I needed to be bold and believe in myself.”
As part of the partnership, Islamic Relief will become a King’s Trust Global Patron, joining a network of organisations committed to helping young people succeed.
Will Straw, CEO of King’s Trust International said: “This generation of young people in West Africa on the cusp of entering the workforce is full of potential, and brimming with energy, ideas and entrepreneurial spirit. Yet there is a very real risk that the interconnected challenges of poverty, limited opportunity and demographic changes will constrain their prospects.
This is why the partnership between King’s Trust International and Islamic Relief is so exciting. It brings together deep, complementary expertise to address one of the world’s greatest challenges. Both organisations have a strong track record of supporting young people to realise their ambitions. By working together, we can deliver impact that is far greater than the sum of our individual efforts.”
Zia Salik, interim director for Islamic Relief UK said: “We are proud to be working with Kings Trust International. It is inspiring to see the impact of the Trust’s work over so many years and their support for well over 140,000 young people outside the UK.
We are inspired by His Majesty The King’s determination to do more to secure a brighter future for young people and his vision that every young person should have the chance to succeed, no matter their start in life.
Islamic Relief shares this vision of empowering youth across the world in many of our programmes and working with KTI we are optimistic about the chance to transform lives through these exceptional life changing programmes in West Africa.”