Agbelebu Partners Agege Artisans and Community Leaders To Unveil Youth Apprenticeship Initiative

Community-level development efforts in Agege have received a targeted boost following extensive stakeholder deliberations between local leadership structures, community associations, and trade organizations aimed at driving grassroots economic empowerment.

The initiative, anchored under the “Adopt a Youth Initiative,” was unveiled during a consultative session involving executive members of the Community Development Committee (CDC), chairmen of various Community Development Associations (CDAs), and the leadership of the Lagos State Council of Tradesmen and Artisans (LASCOTA), Agege Chapter. The proposed model seeks to establish a structured, community-based apprenticeship scheme wherein verified local master artisans will adopt, mentor, and train at least one young resident within their immediate neighborhood over a twelve-month period.

Stakeholders at the meeting emphasized that utilizing the existing skills and institutional presence of neighborhood artisans provides a direct, low-friction pathway to vocational proficiency, entrepreneurship, and economic self-reliance for local youths. Beyond combating grassroots underemployment, the initiative is structured to preserve indigenous manual trades while fostering intergenerational knowledge transfer across the commercial hub of Agege.

Addressing the gathering, community convener Agbelebu maintained that sustainable development must remain detached from partisan political competition, arguing that elected officials and community-level representatives must function as collaborative partners rather than political rivals. He stated that grassroots transformation requires continuous consultation, practical problem-solving, and direct engagement with artisan guilds and residential leaders to ensure local development initiatives address documented community priorities.