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Youth Empowerment: Fidelity Bank, Gazelle Academy Train 200 Undergraduates In Sokoto
Unswerving in its quest to create a veritable platform for building an entrepreneurial spirit in the country’s teeming youths, Fidelity Bank Plc has expanded the scope of the Fidelity Youth Empowerment Academy (YEA) in a bid to accommodate new areas of vocational training.
On February 10, 2020, the bank in strategic partnership with Gazelle Academy commenced the seventh edition of the highly successful YEA at the Sokoto State University (SSU), Sokoto. Apart from the typical training on tailoring and make-up, participants will also be provided with requisite skills and first-hand knowledge in Fashion Designing, Cloth Embellishment, Cocktail and Phone Engineering among others.
Over 200 undergraduates of Sokoto State University (SSU) will benefit from this programme. So, why does the bank invest in young people? When the Fidelity Bank says, “turn your passion into a pay cheque”, that’s a message of empowerment. As a bank, it recognises that the youth look at the world with fresh eyes and such lively determination, and create much-needed change by throwing convention out the window. That’s why the bank, through its laudable interventions, continues to develop innovative programmes that unleash the creative energies of Nigerian youths which in turn represents formidable new frontiers for sustainable national development, says Fidelity Bank MD, Nnamdi Okonkwo.
YEA is a skills acquisition, training and productivity improvement scheme targeted at youths, especially undergraduates in Nigeria’s higher institutions. This empowerment programme, which is part of the Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, is primarily targeted at creating a new breed of entrepreneurs amongst Nigeria’s boisterous youth population.
Over 3,000 students have benefited from YEA programs at University of Nigeria, Nsukka; Waziri Umar Federal Polytechnic, Birnin-Kebbi; Federal Polytechnic Oko, Anambra State; Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt; Bayero University, Kano and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
Some beneficiaries who have since started their own businesses were recognized at the event. Fidelity Bank has also provided students with high-quality sewing machines, pressing irons and make-up kits to make sure that undergraduates utilise the skills and experiences garnered at the youth empowerment workshop to improve their lives before and after graduation.
In essence, the Bank has succeeded in making entrepreneurs out of students who will be financially responsible and independent. Through this programme, the Bank has earned a significant measure of goodwill with state and local governments that have in some cases translated to a business relationships and have contributed to the Bank’s bottom line.
EMPOWERING NIGERIAN YOUTHS
L-R: The Head Recruitment, CSR & Sustainability, Fidelity Bank Plc, Chris Nnakwe exchanges pleasantries with the Commissioner of Youth & Sport Development, Aminu Bala Bodinga at the opening ceremony of the Fidelity Youth Empowerment Programme (YEA 7) held in Sokoto State for undergraduates and other selected participants Sokoto State University… Monday while the Regional Bank Head (RBH), North west 2, Salihu Jibrin, and the Founder/CEO, Gazelle Academy, Muna Onuzo look on.
EMPOWERING NIGERIAN YOUTHS
L-R: The Regional Operations Services Supervisor (ROSS) North-West 2, Fidelity Bank Plc, Shaba Mohammed; Branch Leader, Birnin Kebbi, Fidelity Bank Plc, Musa Isa; Head Recruitment, CSR & Sustainability, Fidelity Bank Plc, Chris Nnakwe; Commissioner of Youth & Sport Development, Sokoto State, Aminu Bala Bodinga; Founder/CEO, Gazelle Academy, Muna Onuzo; Regional Bank Head (RBH), North-West 2, Fidelity Bank Plc, Salihu Jibrin; and Branch Leader (BL), Sokoto, Fidelity Bank Plc, Bello Aliyu, at the opening ceremony of the Fidelity Youth Empowerment Programme (YEA 7) for undergraduates and other selected participants Sokoto State University… Monday
held in Sokoto State… Monday
EMPOWERING NIGERIAN YOUTHS
Fidelity Bank Staff present at the opening ceremony of the Fidelity Youth Empowerment Programme (YEA 7) which took place at the Sokoto State University. Sokoto where vocational training in Fashion Designing, Makeover, Cloth Embellishment, Wig making and Computer Coding were conducted for undergraduates and other selected participants in the state.
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ZENITHBANKPARTNERSLAWMA,LASWATOCOMMEMORATEWORLDENVIRONMENT DAY 2026 WITH TWO-PHASE LAGOS CLEAN-UP
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Much more than commemorating the annual Children’s Day marked every May 27, Zenith Bank Plc is championing thenarrativethatchildrenarethetrueleadersoftomorrow.TheBankhasdeepeneditsinvestmentincarefullycuratedinitiativesthatelevatechildrenacrosseducation,financialliteracy,health,digitalinclusion,andsocialprotection,building a generation equipped to thrive and lead. For Zenith Bank, every child matters, and the Bank’s footprint reflectsa deliberate, pan-African strategy to nurture potential from the earliest age.Zenith Bank has been the financial institution partner to Kiddies Corner on Inspiration 92.3FM Lagos for over threeyears, anchoring the Tuesday edition and Zenith Financial Literacy Friday show. The programme blends spelling beecontestswithfinancialliteracyquestions,creatingawarenessandonboardingchildrenintotheZenithChildren’sAccount (ZECA). This partnership came alive at the Inspiration FM Children’s Day Carnival on Saturday, May 23, 2026,whereZenithBankhostedover1,000childrenandtheirparents,celebratingZECAwinnerswithgames,skits,andZenith Bank branded gifts.The Bank’s Zenith Financial Literacy Week, held quarterly, takes this mission into select schools across all 36 statesandtheFCT.Studentsaretrainedonsavings,budgeting,basicinvestments,anditsretailproducts,withthetopperformer in each school awarded N50,000. Complementing this is the Bank’s nationwide Financial Literacy ProgramundertheCBN-mandatedGlobalMoneyWeek,whichin2025alonereached3,622studentsacross22LGAs,deploying 137 bank employee volunteers as educators.In alignment with the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on Quality Education, Zenith Bankhasdonatedstate-of-the-artICTcentresandcomputersystemstoschoolsanduniversitiesnationwide,includingaComputerCentretoBamainaAcademy,Dutse,JigawaState.Itstransformativeinterventionsincludefullyequippedlibraries,vocationalfacilities,andlarge-scaleschoolrenovations,fromOjotaSecondarySchoolandVictoriaIslandSecondary School in Lagos to Hugallawa Primary School in Jigawa. Targeted financial support further breaks barrierswith N1 million cash donation to Louisville Girls High School, Ijebu-Itele, supporting girl-child education; infrastructureupgrades at Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School; a N1 million scholarship endowment for St. Francis CatholicSecondary School; and support for the North-East Children’s Fund to aid education in conflict-affected communities.Through its Primary Healthcare Centre Initiative across all 774 LGAs, Zenith Bank educates parents on early childhoodsavings during routine visits, linking health and financial well-being. The “PAD-A-QUEEN” Initiative commemorates theInternational Day of the Girl Child, reaching5,000 girls in 10 schools withsanitary pads, hygiene kits, and menstrualhealth education to keep girls in school and promote SDGs 3, 4, and 5.The Bank’s compassion extends to the most vulnerable. At Bethesda Home and School for the Blind, Idi Oro, Lagos,Zenith donatedbraille materials,food, and toiletries.For the2026 InternationalDay forStreet Children,it partneredwithBosco Child Protection Centre on medical check-ups, food, clothing, and counseling. Annual Christmas Charity Visits toorphanagesdelivercash,toys,andessentialsupplies,whilesupportfortheSmileandShineChildrenFoundation’sStrive Conference empowers over 2,000 adolescents with life skills and leadership training.Commenting on the Bank’s intentionality towards the development of children, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, GroupManaging Director/CEO, ZenithBank Plc, said, “AtZenith Bank, weare deliberate about initiativesthat elevate childrenbecausetheyarenotjustourfuture,theyareourpresentresponsibility.AsWhitneyHoustonsopoignantlysang,‘Ibelievethechildrenarethefuture,teachthemwellandletthemleadtheway.’Thatisthephilosophydrivingourinvestmentsineducation,financialliteracy,health,anddigitalinclusion.FromKiddiesCornertoICTcentres,fromPHCs to orphanages, we are teaching them well, equipping them early, and giving them the tools to lead. Zenith Bankrenews its commitment to every Nigerian child, to nurture their dreams, protect their dignity, and secure their tomorrow.”Championing youth expression, the Zenith Annual Youth Parade, hosted by the Bank for 19 years, stands as a flagshipCorporate Social Responsibilityinitiative. Bringing togetherthousands of childrenand teenagers in avibrant showcaseof unity and discipline, the parade has remained dedicated since inception to the vital mission of supporting, nurturing, -
andempoweringtheNigerianchild,reinforcingtheBank’sbeliefthatleadershipislearnedearlythroughteamwork,confidence, and celebration of young Nigerian identity.ForZenithBank,Children’sDayismorethanadateonthecalendar.Itisadailypledgetoempower,protect,andprepareNigeria’schildrenforleadership.Fromclassroomstocommunities, the Bank’s initiatives are teaching them welland letting them lead the way because the future belongs to children who are equipped today.
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