Country of Residence
Nigeria
Age
19
Project title
Pathway for Generations.
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
Pathway for Generations is building a learning-to-earning ecosystem for underserved Nigerian youth. Through AI-supported mentorship and real-world projects, learners develop and prove their digital skills, access remote and international opportunities, and, in time, connect with global employers through a talent marketplace.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
Nil
Project Category
My project is a brand new / emerging idea
Project Stage
Idea (We’re hoping to get started in the future)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
My inspiration came from experiencing how digital skills can transform lives. I began writing novels at six, and at 14, I realised my passion could generate income. At 15, I published my first book, signed my first international writing contract, and began earning foreign currency. I used my earnings to pay my school fees, support my family, and establish a business for my mum. Throughout university, writing has helped me fund my education while maintaining a First Class academic record. I have also informally mentored aspiring writers, some of whom have secured their first international contracts while balancing their studies. Seeing friends earn through other digital skills reinforced my belief in their potential. My aha moment came when I realised that students around me kept asking how they could learn these skills and find similar opportunities. Rather than continue giving scattered advice, I envisioned an organised pathway to help more young people succeed. Young people did not lack potential; many lacked the practical guidance, support, and access to opportunities needed to turn their abilities into income. That became the foundation of Pathway for Generations: an initiative designed to provide flexible, AI-personalised learning supported by human mentorship, real-world projects, portfolio development, and connections to paid opportunities.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Nigeria has no shortage of young people with the potential to thrive in the digital economy, but that potential is not turning into income. In early 2024, unemployment among Nigerians with post-secondary education was 9%, well above the national rate of 5.3%, and more than one in seven young people aged 15 to 24 was not in employment, education or training. Even those who learn a skill often stay stuck. They finish without hands-on experience, a credible portfolio, professional guidance, or anyone willing to give them a first opportunity. Employers also struggle to tell who is truly ready, because a certificate says little about what someone can actually do. For students, the financial barrier is immediate: PressPayNg estimates that about 18% of Nigerian tertiary students drop out each year, which it links to cost. Affordable, practical training that fits around their studies is hard to find. This matters to me because I have seen how digital skills can help young people fund their education and support their families. Peers have secured international writing contracts after learning informally from me, while other students keep asking how they can access the same opportunities. Talent should not be limited by finances or lack of connections. Pathway for Generations exists to close the gap between learning and earning for underserved Nigerian youth.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
Pathway for Generations is a skills-to-income platform that helps underserved Nigerian undergraduates and unemployed youth turn digital skills into paid opportunities, and prove they can do the work. Our model has four stages: Learn, Build, Verify, Earn. Learn: Participants choose from five practical pathways spanning creative, technical and marketing skills, such as writing, graphic design, coding, SEO, video editing and AI automation, in a flexible format that fits around their studies. Human mentors support every learner. As we grow, an AI layer will track progress, assignment performance and consistency to flag anyone falling behind, so a mentor can step in early, re-explain concepts and adjust the pace. Build: Participants complete progressively challenging real projects to build portfolios, and learn freelancing, personal branding and client acquisition. Verify: Instead of relying on certificates alone, learners take live practical assessments and defend their work, explaining their decisions. This gives clients and employers evidence of real competence. Earn: Our planned Opportunity Hub will curate freelance gigs, internships, jobs and scholarships. In the longer term, a Talent Marketplace will match verified talent with employers and clients using evidence such as projects, assessments and experience. We will begin with a lean 50-person pilot on existing learning technology, tracking completion, skills, portfolio quality, opportunities, income and feedback. Our target is for at least 60% of participants to earn their first income during or shortly after the programme. Our goal is to make competence demonstrated, not assumed, and help young people earn without abandoning their education.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
Pathway is at an early stage, so I can’t yet report participants reached. Here is what led me to build it and what impact will look like. I have seen how digital skills can change a young person’s circumstances. I am a contracted writer who has worked with several international companies, and peers have secured international writing contracts after learning informally from me. Many other students have asked me how to learn digital skills online, but I could only share what I knew informally. What they lacked was access to a structured programme that trains them and builds their portfolio. We will begin with a 50-person pilot, measuring completion, skills acquired, portfolio quality, opportunities accessed, income earned and learner and employer feedback. Our target is for at least 60% of participants, to earn their first income during or shortly after the programme. After the pilot, our longer-term goal is to train at least 200 young Nigerians a year. I believe it will work because it fixes the points where learners get stuck. Our planned AI personalisation will track each learner’s progress and flag difficulties early, so mentors can step in before anyone falls behind. Real projects build portfolios, and live assessments give employers proof of competence. The pilot results will decide what we build next, first an Opportunity Hub, then a talent marketplace.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Most digital training programmes stop at learning. Pathway seeks to address the structural barriers that prevent underserved young people from translating their potential into economic opportunity, by connecting training, portfolio building, verification and opportunities in one planned model. Parts of this exist elsewhere: HP LIFE offers free courses and certificates, and Andela connects vetted technologists with employers. We are building an integrated pathway for underserved students across creative, marketing and technical skills, from their first lesson to their first paid opportunity. Proof, not certificates: Projects will be completed in collaboration with companies, as real-world work rather than exercises set by trainers. Learners then defend their work in a live oral assessment, with results visible to partner companies. Over time, each talent profile will show completed projects, assessments, assignments and internships or jobs, helping employers evaluate demonstrated ability rather than relying on certificates alone. AI detects, humans intervene: Our planned AI personalisation will track each learner’s progress and flag difficulties early, so mentors can step in with extra support. The technology directs human attention. Built from lived experience: As a student who has used a digital skill to earn while pursuing education, I understand the pressure of balancing study and financial survival. Our approach is shaped by research and by that experience, and learning is flexible and personalised so earning does not mean abandoning education. We are deliberate about growth: a 50-person pilot on existing learning technology first, then the Opportunity Hub and talent marketplace, each justified by evidence before we invest in the next stage.
How many people are on your team?
4
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
I've recruited four people as I prepare for Pathway's pilot, including a graphic designer, and mentors. As we grow, I aim to recruit skilled trainers, empathetic mentors, opportunity and employer partnerships specialists, marketing and communications specialists, evaluation specialists and AI/technology experts. I value diligence, expertise and passion. I will lead the vision while learning from my team's strengths, welcoming their ideas and sharing decisions that shape our work.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
Over the next three months, I will build the foundation for a 50-person pilot in 2027. Month 1: Continue the student research already under way. Campus volunteers across universities will share our survey, aiming for close to 1,000 responses on students’ needs, barriers and learning preferences. Months 1-2: Work towards formal registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC). Month 2: Analyse the findings and refine our proposed learning tracks. Recruit founding team members for the pilot: five trainers, ten mentors (one per five learners) and marketing specialists. They will commit now and start work when the pilot launches. Month 3: Approach potential partners, such as employers and the Federal Government’s LEEP programme, with registration, a team and research results to show them. We will explore real-world projects, mentorship and employment pathways, then use partner feedback to refine the programme and draft a framework for assessing learner outcomes. Funding: A full pilot needs about ₦5.5 million. We are applying to several grants, and if funding is delayed we will still launch a leaner pilot in 2027, using registration fees, my savings and in-kind support from partners. By month three, Pathway will be a registered organisation with a research report, a recruited team and initial conversations with partners.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
Pathway is at an early stage, so my focus so far has been bringing students into the work before building anything for them. So far: I have recruited campus ambassadors at different universities, and our student survey goes out next week. They will share it with their peers, and each student who responds will tell us what they actually need. Their answers will shape our learning tracks, so students are co-designers, not just future beneficiaries. Going forward, we will activate others in four ways: Campus ambassadors. They will keep spreading awareness through their networks, run short information sessions, and help recruit our first 50 learners. 2. Mentors and trainers. We are recruiting five trainers and ten mentors who share our commitment to underserved young people. Graduates will later return as mentors, so each cohort strengthens the next. 4. Companies. Employers will be invited to offer real-world projects, mentorship and internships, giving them a direct role in building the talent they want to hire. 5. Storytelling. I will share what we learn, including our research findings and learners’ portfolios and outcomes, so more people understand the problem and see what is possible. Our aim is that everyone who touches Pathway, whether student, mentor or employer, becomes part of the solution.
