LIFE Africa to Lead Delivery of British Council's Youth Connect Initiative, Empowering 50 Lagos Youth

LAGOS, NIGERIA—September 11, 2026. The British Council has appointed the Linus Idahosa Foundation for Empowerment Africa (LIFE Africa) to execute the Youth Connect Inclusive Economic Empowerment (IEE) Pathways Programme, opening the door for 50 young Lagosians to build high-income careers. The initiative closes the gap between promise and opportunity, connecting raw talent with real, structured pathways into Nigeria’s growing economy.

Funded under the British Council’s global Youth Connect initiative and delivered by LIFE Africa, the programme is open to youth aged 18–35. Built on a firm inclusion commitment, the cohort guarantees at least 50% female representation and no less than 5% inclusion for persons with disabilities (PWDs), ensuring the programme reflects the full breadth of Lagos’s youth talent.

Moving beyond theory, the IEE Pathways Programme invites participants to choose their own path forward. After an 8-week foundational phase, each young person continues on one of two hands-on, real-world tracks:

The Employment Pathway: A 14-week track combining intensive work-readiness training with a six-week corporate internship or apprenticeship—giving participants a direct route into the workforce.

The Enterprise Pathway: A 16-week business incubator covering unit economics, pricing, formal registration, and dedicated mentorship — culminating in a live pitch competition that puts participants’ ideas in front of real investors and industry leaders.

The objective for this initiative was further explained by Yahaya Joseph Janga, the Project Manager, Non-Formal Education, Youth Connect: “Nigeria’s youth challenge is no longer simply about whether young people can access skills. It is increasingly about whether those skills connect young people to decent economic opportunities, entrepreneurship, networks, civic participation, and the ability to contribute positively to their communities. This is the gap the British Council wants to bridge through the Inclusive Economic Empowerment Pathways (IEE). The IEE pathways project is a structured phase intervention designed to enable young people to transition into decent employment or sustainable enterprise through a combination of foundational skills, practical exposure, and mentoring.”

Beyond the core Employment and Enterprise Pathways, the Lagos 50 will meet directly with industry leaders, established employers, and entrepreneurs who will mentor, validate, and open real doors into the market. Young women in the cohort step into these same rooms as equals, gaining footing in spaces long dominated by men, while every participant walks away connected to the market relationships that turn training into lasting, dignified income. 

The Head of Foundation for LIFE Africa, Evans Emmanuel, shared the vision for the foundation: “At LIFE Africa, we envision an Africa where people convert relevant skills into sustainable livelihoods, which drives our Skillustry Model of identifying practical skills, equipping people to develop them, and connecting them to employment or enterprise opportunities.

Through our partnership with the British Council’s Inclusive Economic Empowerment Programme, we will support 50 Lagosians over six months with training, practical exposure, mentorship, and structured pathways from learning to earning, while tracking outcomes such as skills development, job or enterprise readiness, employment, business growth, and income generation as one step toward enabling this journey one million times across Africa over the next decade.”

This Lagos-based commitment is one expression of a far bigger ambition, and it draws its shape directly from what the British Council designed the programme to deliver. That design begins with a clear premise about young people and opportunity, and the programme's own mission spells it out plainly. 

The British Council’s Inclusive Economic Empowerment (IEE) Programme seeks to equip young people with the right mindset, attitudes, and practical skills to create value, improve productivity, and participate more meaningfully in the economy.

The underlying idea is not simply employability but the development of productive value creators, whether as employees, entrepreneurs, professionals, or contributors within their communities. British Council IEE Consultant Facilitator, Nelson Okwonna

Onboarding/Orientation is scheduled for the 18th of September 2026, with the programme running through February 28th, 2027. True to the partners’ commitment to long-term impact, a three-month post-programme study will track participants’ income growth and employment retention—following this cohort well beyond graduation.

About the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. For over 80 years, it has connected young people across Nigeria with learning, opportunity, and creative exchange — helping them build the skills and networks to shape their own futures.

About LIFE Africa

The Linus Idahosa Foundation for Empowerment Africa (LIFE Africa), part of the Del-York Group, is an economic opportunity platform that connects underserved Africans to the capital, markets, and mentorship they need to build sustainable, thriving livelihoods.

Media Contact

(Evans Emmanuel) Del-York Group / LIFE Africa 

evans@delyorkgroup.com [+234 806 8737 940]