MIT Solve

Solution overview

Our Solution

Human Capital Development

Tagline

Harnessing talent resources by helping the educationally and economically under-served to discover, develop and deploy skills for reward

Pitch us on your solution

Africa's human capital gap which is derived from the Global Human Capital Index is quite poor and needs attention.

Nigeria is our current focus, and we hope to bridge the human capital gap through the project (The Human Capital Development Project) we are currently carrying out in under-served communities or lower socioeconomic areas.

There's need to galvanize efforts to drive human capital investment to overcome the large gaps in education and learning, coupled with the ever growing challenge of unemployment. Investment in people is a panacea to bridging the human capital gap, in Africa and globally.

We have designed a capacity building framework, and hope to partner with relevant organizations in order to empower, equip and train individuals for them to be well positioned for opportunities that will improve their socioeconomic well-being as well as meet their learning needs.

What is the problem you are solving?

The Global Human Capital Index Components informed the Human Capital Development Project which seeks to address the problem of Africa's human capital gap, beginning with Nigeria. Click here for more

The human capital gap may be a global issue, but we are working to close the gap from our end.

There's need to galvanize efforts to drive human capital investment to overcome the large gaps in education and learning, coupled with the ever growing challenge of unemployment. Investment in people is a panacea to mitigating all of the above. Click here to read more

We're working to bridge the human capital gap in order to solve the problem of unemployment.

Who are you serving?

The Human Capital Development Project is an initiative that is born out of the need to confront and address the challenge of human capital gap, with a focus on underserved communities.

The program is currently designed for public school students living in underserved communities, Senior Secondary School 1 and 2 (SSS 1 and 2), and it comprises of training on life skills, digital skills, problem solving skills, and talent development.

The students at the end of the program are placed on internship with organizations of their interest between 1-3 month for experiential learning.

The program also seeks to develop the talent and potential of participants by linking them up with partners (organizations) who are skilled in that area.

What is your solution?

This is a part of our solution framework designed after the mission of the organization, here's it below:

Life Skills Training

For adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of life. They include; decision making, communication and interpersonal skills.

Digital Skills

The future is digital and the future of work is changing, hence, the need for these sets of skills.

Problem solving Skills

We also want to birth a generation of problem solvers through the project.

Beneficiaries are given assignments and asked to do projects at all skills level for outcome measurement.

Select only the most relevant.

Create or advance equitable and inclusive economic growth

Where is your solution team headquartered?

Lagos, Nigeria

Our solution's stage of development:

Prototype

More about your solution

Select one of the below:

New business model or process

Describe what makes your solution innovative.

There is probably no new thing under the sun as they say, but our solution is one that is research-based and partnership-driven.

Also, the solution gains insight from the research and data provided by the World Bank Global Report and Research on Human Capital then, we adapt it to the needs of the individuals we engage.

Describe the core technology that your solution utilizes.

One of the skills we train beneficiaries on is digital skills which helps to prepare them for the jobs of the future, exposing them to online learning and how to make the most of the web.

Our solution uses the problem-to-project process leveraging digital technology. We also employ the social network technology in communicating and engaging them.

Please select the technologies currently used in your solution:

Social Networks

Why do you expect your solution to address the problem?

The interview we have with the beneficiaries at the point of engaging with them forms the basis for our expectations to address the problem.

We also give group assignments and projects to individuals often in order to ensure that the output of our solution is in tandem with what we want to achieve with respect to the problem.

We hope to place the beneficiaries on 1-3 month internship to gain experiential learning as a means to measure the impact of our solution.

Select the key characteristics of the population your solution serves.

Women & Girls
Children and Adolescents
Rural Residents
Peri-Urban Residents
Very Poor/Poor
Low-Income

In which countries do you currently operate?

Ghana
Nigeria

In which countries will you be operating within the next year?

Ghana
Nigeria

How many people are you currently serving with your solution? How many will you be serving in one year? How about in five years?

We are currently serving about 100 people because we started some months ago, this year. And, we hope to serve about 1000 in one year, and up to 10,000 in five years.

What are your goals within the next year and within the next five years?

In clear terms, we hope to raise new breed of problem solvers. Whatever project we do, we ensure it doesn't end with the beneficiary by keeping track on their development and engagement with what they have been trained or taught.

As a way to ensure a ripple effect of our effort, we instill volunteerism mentality in them by making them understand that they have the responsibility to give back to the society.

Furthermore, each beneficiary is automatically a volunteer upon completion of the training, after one year of training. They are also deployed to areas that need their skill and expertise. This gives them the opportunity to give back to the society as we have told them from the start of the training.

So, in the next one year, we hope to have ambassadors (beneficiaries) who are willing to replicate what they have benefited in any society that they find themselves. Below is our goals in the years to come, five years and beyond;

By 2025, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
By 2025, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training.
By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries

What are the barriers that currently exist for you to accomplish your goals for the next year and for the next five years?

Access to training and mentorship
Funding
Lack of corporate structure and process

How are you planning to overcome these barriers?

Currently, the funding is sourced from my personal savings and support from friends and family. The training and mentorship is done with the help of partners and volunteers.

We are largely depending on partnerships to overcome the above challenges.

About your team

Select an option below:

Nonprofit

How many people work on your solution team?

Myself and 3 volunteers make the solution team currently

For how many years have you been working on your solution?

Less than a year.

Why are you and your team best-placed to deliver this solution?

We are a team of young people with creative and problem-solving mindset, imbued with different skills and field of study.

What brought us together is to solve problems leveraging technology, and contribute to sustainable, inclusive growth. Below is our brief individual bio.

CHIDI JOSEPH ODINANWA (Myself)

A graduate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (BSc. Cooperative Economics and Management). With over 2 years’ experience in business management, volunteering and teaching, and one year experience as a digital marketer and trainer.

Currently a Google My Business Trusted Verifier; helps small businesses with their online presence. He's a creative thinker, tech savvy and development actor with unquenchable interest in solving problems leveraging technology and digital tools.

OLUWATIMILEYIN IBUKUNOLUWA ADEKUNLE

A lady of 24, interested in women, children and technology. Graduated from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, where she studied Pure and Applied Mathematics. She's a Data Engineer by profession. And, currently studying machine learning and artificial intelligence. She hopes to have a technology university in Nigeria where skills can be acquired affordably.

AFFAMUEFUNA JANE NKEIRUKA

She's currently a District Officer for the Scout Association of Nigeria, and a Google Digital Skills Support Trainer through the Google Digital Skills for Africa Program. She's interested in women, youths and technology. She's a web designer and have interest in python.

GABRIEL JIMOH

A multi-talented undergraduate of University of Lagos, studying Social Works. Currently volunteering for 9ineteenworks as one of the Co-host on Teens Time with Chichi, a Radio Show, a writer on 9ineteen magazine and a speaker on the 9ineteen Dstv Teenager show.

With what organizations are you currently partnering, if any? How are you working with them?

We are partnering with MindtheGap Innovation Hub, FirstWealth Tech and Digital.ng to train and give the beneficiaries workplace experience.

And, we hope to get more partners because the population we serve is quite huge, and are willing to embrace the solution.

Your business model & funding

Partnership potential