Ibrahim Impact Foundation

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Economic Growth

Why This Matters

Economic opportunity is the engine of everything else

An educated person without economic opportunity is still trapped. Healthcare is meaningless if families cannot afford food. We see economic empowerment not as a separate pillar, but as the infrastructure that makes education and health sustainable over time.

Nigeria has extraordinary entrepreneurial energy. What it lacks is structured access: to skills, to capital, to networks, and to markets. That is exactly what we are building.

33%

Nigeria's unemployment rate, among the highest in Africa, concentrated among youth aged 15 to 35

70%

of Nigeria's workforce operates in the informal sector with no financial safety net

4M

young Nigerians enter the job market each year into an economy that cannot absorb them

Our Initiatives

What we actually do

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Vocational Skills Training

We deliver 12-week skills programs in tailoring, electrical installation, mobile device repair, welding, and other trades, with direct pathways to employment or self-employment after graduation.

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Small Business Support

Entrepreneurs need more than skills. They need capital, mentorship, and markets. We provide micro-grant pilots, peer learning circles, and business development support to help early-stage entrepreneurs launch and grow.

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Financial Literacy

Knowing how to earn money is only half the battle. We teach saving, budgeting, basic accounting, and digital financial tools, turning income into wealth and helping participants break cycles of financial vulnerability.

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Enterprise Development & Market Access

We build relationships between program graduates and small and medium enterprises who can offer employment. We are building a pipeline, not just a training program.

Who We Serve

The builders of Nigeria's economic future

Youth (18 to 35)

Nigeria's largest and most underserved workforce population, full of potential but blocked by lack of access to skills and capital.

Women Entrepreneurs

Women who face compounded barriers to economic participation and who, when supported, invest more back into their families and communities.

Informal Sector Workers

People who are already working in precarious conditions. We help them formalise, scale, and stabilise their income.

First-Time Business Owners

Those with a business idea and the drive to pursue it, who need a structured environment to launch it responsibly.

Our Impact So Far

250+ people trained in Year 1

Our inaugural vocational skills cohort of 30 participants graduated in early 2025 with a 77% employment rate within 3 months. We have since reached over 250 people through training and financial literacy sessions, with more cohorts planned across five cities in 2025.

30

First cohort graduates

77%

Employment rate (3-month)

250+

People trained overall

Read the full Impact Report โ†’

Get Involved

Help us build economic opportunity

Business mentors, corporate employers, funders: every contribution builds a pathway from potential to prosperity.