Access Bank, Bloom Initiative Train Students in Leadership Skills

Nume Ekeghe

In its continuous bid to empower young leaders, Access Bank Plc for the fifth year has trained students from an array of secondary schools on leadership skills.

This, Access Bank did in partnership with the Bloom Initiative project over the weekend and graduated 55 students who completed a week-long rigorous training and mentorship on leadership qualities.

Speaking at the graduation of 2019 Bloom fellows, the  Head Brand Management team, Retail Division, Mrs. Yomi Abiola-Olawaiye, said the partnership was an exciting experience because it aligns with the company’s drive to develop leadership among young people.

While addressing participants, Abiola-Olawaiye said: “We believe the future rests with your generation and we are passionate about developing your minds not only for saving culture but also through innovation, technology and mentoring to bring out the very best in you.

“Our belief in sustainability is what made us to partner with the Bloom Initiative; a program that has similar principles and believes in the development of the youth.

“I do hope that with this program, you have learned a great deal on leadership, growth motivation, excellence and success. I look forward to your future success stories because you would one day stand and speak to the next generation about your journey to success.”

In addition to the support from Access Bank, the Bloom program introduced a community impact project to the students and upon completing the project, the top five selected projects would be featured on the bank’s AccelerateTV and the first winner would be financially awarded N25,000.

The Bloom Initiative for Empowering Youth (BloonFEY) was founded by Uwa Osa-Oboh as a Change Project of the African Leadership Institute for West Africa.

The initiative, according to the founder, Bloom Leadership empowerment programme, Mrs. Uwa Osa-Oboh , was to address the need for leadership development as a means of increasing the global competitiveness of youths  and it was attended by top best students from schools in Lagos and other parts of the country.

Bloom Week, targeted at talented youth, some of who may already exhibit leadership potential, featured interplay use of case studies, texts and group exercises to provide participants with knowledge and wisdom at the end expose young minds to the science, challenges, and context for effective leadership for the aspiring Nigerian in the 21st century.

Osa- Oboh speaking at the graduation ceremony in Lagos said: “We found out that Nigerian students ultimately are being groomed not for the world. They may pass all the academic courses but there is a reality about how the world operates that somehow the schools will not provide for them.”