The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the Borno State Government, has launched a vocational training programme to empower 1,033 children affected by years of armed conflict in the state.
Speaking at the launch in Maiduguri, UNICEF Country Representative, Ms. Wafaa Saeed, said the initiative would equip children with practical, marketable skills in areas such as tailoring, ICT, shoemaking, carpentry, and automobile repairs.
Represented by UNICEF Child Protection Manager, Mr. Shah Mohammad Khan, Saeed said prolonged insurgency in the Northeast had deprived many children, especially girls of education and livelihood opportunities.
“Conflict did not just shrink the economy; it has crippled families’ earning power and denied children a chance to learn or dream,” she said. “These vocational training centres restore not just learning, but hope, dignity, and opportunity for conflict-affected adolescents and their families.”
The programme currently benefits 567 boys and 466 girls across five centres in Maiduguri, Bama, Biu, Damboa, and Konduga. It combines vocational and life skills training with psychosocial support and official certification to prepare participants for sustainable livelihoods.
Saeed noted that the project is part of UNICEF’s “Empowering Young Voices” initiative, which promotes resilience and community recovery among youth affected by violence.
Borno State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Abba Wakilbe, praised UNICEF and its UN partners for supporting the programme, describing it as “life-changing” for children recovering from abduction and forced recruitment.
“Programmes like this give these children a new path, from trauma to productivity,” he said.
