New Horizons Nigeria, a global ICT training organisation, has launched a landmark ₦50 million Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme aimed at transforming the lives of Almajiri children through technology skills acquisition.
Tagged “Almajiris-to-Tech,” the initiative is designed as a 90-day intensive empowerment scheme that will equip participants with practical, income-generating ICT and electronics skills, helping to curb street begging, reduce unemployment, and strengthen national security through sustainable, non-kinetic solutions.
The programme, scheduled to commence January 19, 2026, prioritises hands-on training over theory. Beneficiaries will learn the maintenance and repair of laptops, desktops, projectors, mobile phones, and televisions, as well as inverter battery construction and UPS systems using recycled e-waste such as scrap laptop batteries. The approach promotes both employability and environmental sustainability.
Recognising that transformation begins with mindset, the first week of the programme will focus on psychological re-orientation. Delivered in Hausa by psychologists and respected Islamic clerics, the sessions will emphasise patriotism, discipline, hard work, and civic responsibility.
“God has not created any human being useless. Purely kinetic approaches cannot solve the Almajiri challenge; it requires empowerment combined with re-orientation,” said Tim Akano, Managing Director, New Horizons Nigeria.
The programme will be launched at the New Horizons Training Centre, Abuja, with an initial two-batch rollout. To ensure broad stakeholder participation, training slots have been allocated as follows:
People Expertise and Excellence Foundation (PEEF): 10 slots for human capital development
Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi): 10 slots to extend his youth empowerment initiatives into Northern Nigeria
At the conclusion of the training, participants will compete in teams—Team Shettima, Team Akpabio, Team Abbas, and Team Yayi—to build and brand personal computers, fostering teamwork, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
New Horizons Nigeria has also outlined post-training support to ensure long-term impact. Graduates will be established in physical locations as certified New Horizons Computer Technicians. The best graduating student will receive full business start-up funding and a complete toolkit, while a digital verification portal will publish the profiles, contacts, and certifications of all trained technicians.
With Nigeria hosting an estimated 15 million Almajiri children, New Horizons projects that empowering this population could add up to $20 billion to GDP by 2027—a goal aligned with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope agenda to turn vulnerable citizens into productive economic contributors.
