If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all?

British Council boosts Nigerian youths’ capacity with exams

The British Council in Nigeria said in the last 75 years of existence, it has focused on capacity building and sustainability in designing, developing and delivering programmes aimed at delivering change at scale.

Between 2018/2019 alone, 117,352 internationally recognised examinations were taken by Nigerians, connecting them to worldwide learning opportunities which will improve their life chances.

Similarly, more than 3,900 students across 26 schools have gained access to an international dimension in their education through the International School’s Award.

The Council said 4,832 artists were given empowerment opportunities through training and networking platforms.

This includes the Foreign Commonwealth Office (FCO) funded Nigeria Creative Enterprise (NICE), supporting Nigerian creative entrepreneurs, and sectors in fashion and film to develop their skills, capacity and partnerships with the UK.

As part of fostering peace and development in different communities in the Northern region, over 1,921 traditional rulers, 1,801 scribes and 300 mentors from 12 Emirate Councils in North-East Nigeria have been trained.

The training developed the traditional rulers’ skills for mediation of disputes and conflict resolution.

Speaking on the British Council’s activities in Nigeria, the Country Director, Lucy Pearson, said the Council’s approach is rooted in partnering with the right UK and Nigerian organisations to give the widest possible impact.

“We have a reputation for listening and enabling that has brought us a range of partner organisations that invested in our programmes – from Federal and State Governments to NGO’s to the private sector,” she said.

The British Council was established in 1934 and has been in Nigeria since 1943. In a message celebrating 75 years in Nigeria,

One of the success stories of the Council was that of Anas Yazid Balarabe who holds a Master’s Degree in Engineering from the Imperial College, London. Balarabe was a recipient of the 2017 British Council UK Alumni Awards for Entrepreneurship.

BC Alumni Awards are presented to Nigerians who have studied in the UK and have distinguished themselves in a particular field of practice.

Balarabe’s startup, ‘Certis’ focuses on the design and development of educational technology and has evolved into ‘Yoda’, a solarpowered project that revolutionizes learning in Nigerian schools.