Essential Ndubuisi
Ikorodu, Lagos – Under the leadership of Idris Adegbite, founder of Creative Digita Technologies and Project Lead of the Beyond The Screen: Tech and Leadership for Social Impact project, thirty young people including five persons with disabilities, have successfully completed a three-week digital empowerment and leadership training as part of the Youth Day of Service (YDoS) 2025 Initiative, powered by Leap Africa through YDoS initiative and in partnership with Creative Digita Technologies
The Youth Day of Service (YDoS) is an annual pan-African movement that commemorates International Youth Day by empowering grassroots changemakers to design and implement life-changing community projects. The 2025 edition created space for young leaders like Idris Adegbite to launch projects that not only inspire but also deliver sustainable impact in their communities.
Idris’s project, “Beyond the Screen: Tech and Leadership for Social Impact,” was conceived to address the digital divide in Ikorodu by providing young people, including marginalized groups, with access to cutting-edge digital skills, leadership training, and mentorship. “This initiative is about much more than skills. It is about equipping grassroots youths to become changemakers, to drive sustainable community projects, and to re-imagine their future with dignity and opportunity,” Idris explained.
Life-Changing Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
For participants like Aderemilekun Moyosore Oluwo, a bead maker and person with disability, the training was transformative. “I once tried learning these skills online, but the cost was far beyond my reach; some charged N70,000 to N100,000 for just three weeks. This program was free, and yet it gave me everything I needed. The project lead and facilitators treated us like family, and AI tools are already helping me market my bead-making business on social media.”
Another participant, Motunrayo Ibe, a hairdresser living with disability, shared: “Now I can design graphics, edit videos, and promote my work on Instagram and Facebook. People can see what I do and patronize me. This is a big step forward for my business.”
Empowering Grassroots Youth with Skills and Leadership
At the closing event, Idris emphasized the program’s dual focus on skills and social impact. “We cannot deny that AI is here. Our goal was to ensure that even at the grassroots, youths, including those with disabilities, can tap into this opportunity to earn income, reduce poverty, and contribute to community development. The program trained participants to not only use these tools for themselves but also to provide digital services to businesses, right from their homes.”
Community leaders, including the Baale, Chief Olatunde Adekunle Olapade, Hon. Jessica Enitan Oba, Councillor, Ipakodo and Council Leader of Ikorodu West LCDA, and Ms. Victoria Uwaifo, Programs Officer at Leap Africa, also joined the leadership and civic engagement sessions, urging youths to see themselves as active contributors to grassroots development.
Building Sustainability and Scale
All participants graduated with completed projects, including optimized social media business pages and YouTube channels. They were also enrolled in a WhatsApp-based mentorship platform for continuous support. Certificates of completion were issued, and outstanding participants received scholarships for advanced training in Software Development at Creative Digita Technologies.
The program’s sustainability plan envisions a multiplier effect: each trained youth is encouraged to pass on knowledge to at least 30 peers in their community. “If we can support 1,000 youths and each trains 100 others, we could reach millions in a few years,” Adegbite added.
Call for Partnerships
Participants expressed gratitude for the free training, but also called for more frequent editions. Adebayo Johnson, an automobile engineer and participant, said: “This program opened my eyes to how AI can support my profession. If the government and more organizations support initiatives like this, thousands of young people will benefit.”
The Project Lead, Idris, calls on government agencies, private sector sponsors, and development partners to scale up this initiative. With adequate support, the project can reach hundreds more young people with disability across Lagos and Nigeria, helping them harness digital tools to create income, reduce unemployment, and drive social impact.
