Last Updated on June 4, 2025 by Olasunkanmi Olajide
By Aduragbemi Oke
The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), today, June 3 2025, played host to a high-powered delegation from the Skills Development for Youth Employment (SKYE) Programme, an initiative of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), to strengthen ties on employability, entrepreneurship, and career advancement for students.
The visit underscored GIZ-SKYE’s ongoing commitment to empowering young Nigerians through strategic skills development and capacity-building programmes. The SKYE Programme, funded by the Federal Republic of Germany, is active across several states in Nigeria, including Ogun, where FUNAAB stands as a key academic stakeholder.
Receiving the delegation, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, expressed appreciation for the productive partnership with GIZ over the years. He reiterated the University’s unwavering focus on its triad of Teaching, Research, and Community engagement, while stressing the need to bridge the widening gap between academic excellence and workplace readiness.
“Each year, we produce highly competent graduates, yet many face significant hurdles in the job market,” Prof. Kehinde noted. “Our collaboration with GIZ is pivotal in equipping our students with the entrepreneurial and career readiness skills needed to thrive.”
The Vice-Chancellor also highlighted the creation of the Career Services and Linkages Unit (CSLU) and the Centre for Entrepreneurial Studies (CENTS), as Centres that aligned with the Federal Government’s directive for functional career centres in federal institutions. He assured the GIZ team of the University’s full institutional support for impactful initiatives.
Adding to the discourse, Prof. Iyabode Kehinde, Dean, College of Biosciences (COLBIOS) and the Alternate Chairperson of the Employability and Benchmarking Committee, unveiled a proposal for a University-wide Career Fair, envisioned to leverage GIZ’s expansive network in providing internships and job placements for students and alumni.
On his part, Mr. Temitope Soretire, Acting Director of the Information and Communication Technology Resource Centre (ICTREC), shared updates on the ongoing career training pilot programmes, which he said were consistently monitored and reported to the GIZ SKYE team. The programme was aimed to instil entrepreneurial mindsets in students, starting from their first year at FUNAAB.
Speaking on the purpose of the visit, Mr. Ibrahim Aliyu, GIZ-SKYE Ogun State Coordinator and Adviser, emphasised the importance of institutional career services, short-term capacity-building for students and staff, and establishing a dedicated Job Centre in Ogun State. He expressed strong optimism about the synergy between GIZ and FUNAAB.
Present at the meeting were Svjetlana Djokic, Programme Component Manager and Ogun State Manager for SKYE, who commended the University’s leadership for prioritising youth empowerment
The visit ended on a note of mutual optimism, with both parties pledging continued collaboration to enhance the career prospects of young Nigerians through innovation-driven skills development.
