JA Nigeria, Union Bank Equip Young Girls with Leadership Skills

Ugo Aliogo

As part of sustained efforts to empower young girls and bridge the gender equality gap, Junior Achievement Nigeria (JA Nigeria) has once again partnered with Union Bank to organise the 20th Leadership, Empowerment, Achievement and Development (LEAD) Camp.

A statement by JA Nigeria said the LEAD Camp is an annual week-long programme introduced in 2001, designed to identify and coach exceptional female students from across Nigeria.

The statement also stated that the programme, which addresses United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women and Girls, inspires and prepares young girls to become high-achieving leaders.

The statement further explained that to foster the mission yearly participants are taken through a series of activities including leadership and empowerment, workshops, and panel sessions with leading women from the private and public sectors in Nigeria.

The statement remarked: “This year, the Camp held virtually for the second time since its inception, with girls joining in from various states across Nigeria. During the program, the girls participated in conceptualization, development, and implementation of group projects serving the needs of girls in Nigeria (achievement sessions); and self-development sessions that addressed critical areas such as career, financial literacy, and health – including sexual reproductive health.

“For seven consecutive years, Union Bank, who recently joined the JA Nigeria Board has been an ardent supporter and firm partner of the LEAD Camp Programme, highlighting the financial institution’s commitment to gender balance and women empowerment.”

In his remarks, the Executive Director, Junior Achievement Nigeria, Foluso Gbadamosi, said: “The LEAD Camp is a mind-blowing experience for the participants who have always attested to the impact of the program. At JA Nigeria, we take girl empowerment very seriously not only because of our commitment to contribute our quota to advancing SDG-5 but also because we believe young girls should be equipped with the life skills needed to assume leadership positions in the nearest future. Since the programme started in 2000, we have reached over 1,000 girls. We remain thankful to Union Bank for sponsoring LEAD Camp 2021 and being a consistent supporter of other JA Nigeria initiatives.”

Also commenting on the just concluded LEAD Camp, the Chief Brand Marketing Officer of Union Bank, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem posited that the Bank is delighted to partner with JA Nigeria for the seventh year, to organise the LEAD camp.

He also hinted that the sustained partnership is a strong indication of the bank’s commitment to supporting the push for gender balance.

He added: “It is refreshing to see the tremendous impact the program has had on over 1,000 young girls from across Nigeria through the years. We will continue to support the passionate efforts of the JA Nigeria team in creating a more sustainable future.”

A 2021 LEAD Camp participant from Topfield Schools, Lagos, Marvelous Olabanji, noted: “I would like to appreciate Junior Achievement Nigeria for selecting me to be a part of LEAD Camp 2021. My experience was very amazing, I learned a lot like coding, vision boarding, goal setting, personal hygiene, critical thinking. I can now boldly say that I am a strong woman, I am what I think. I know with this great knowledge I have acquired, I am going to impact the lives of so many young ladies out there. I want to say a very big thank you to Junior Achievement Nigeria and the great women who taught us. I also want to thank Union Bank for their continuous support.”