New Horizons Nigeria has launched the first phase of its N50 million Almajiri-to-Tech empowerment programme aimed at removing Almajiri children from the streets and equipping them with practical, income-generating technology skills. The initiative will be implemented in two batches, and successful participants will receive market placement and designated locations to operate as certified technicians.
The launch marked a major step in addressing unemployment and national security concerns through education and empowerment. The programme, tagged ‘Almajiris-to-Tech’, is a 90-day intensive training scheme designed to transform Almajiri youths into certified computer and electronics technicians. It is part of the company’s corporate social responsibility and will begin on January 19, 2026, at the New Horizons Training Centre in Abuja.
Speaking at the launch, Tim Akano, Managing Director of New Horizons Nigeria, said the project seeks to correct long-standing societal neglect. He stated that “the continued presence of Almajiri children on the streets reflects broader societal neglect rather than the failure of the children themselves.” Akano explained that addressing the issue requires a mix of empowerment, reorientation, and non-kinetic interventions rather than the use of force.
According to him, participants will receive hands-on training in the repair and maintenance of laptops, desktops, mobile phones, televisions, projectors, radios, fans, inverters, and other electronic devices. He added that the programme will also promote environmentally sustainable practices, including the reuse of scrap laptop batteries to produce rechargeable fans, uninterruptible power supply systems, and inverter batteries.
The first week of the programme will focus on mindset re-orientation, with sessions facilitated by a psychologist and an Islamic cleric. These sessions will be delivered in Hausa and will cover topics such as good citizenship, patriotism, discipline, hard work, and peaceful coexistence. The goal is to help participants adopt a new outlook on life and move away from street begging and violence.
The empowerment scheme will run in two batches, with ten training slots allocated to the People Expertise and Excellence Foundation (PEEF), a non-governmental organisation focused on human capital development. Another ten slots have been assigned to Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi), a long-time advocate for youth empowerment.
Senator Adeola has previously facilitated the training of over 5,000 youths through New Horizons Nigeria. The current allocation extends his interventions to Northern Nigeria, creating more opportunities for young people to gain technical and entrepreneurial skills.
At the end of the 90-day training, participants will receive market placement assistance and be provided with locations to operate as certified New Horizons Computer Technicians. The best graduating participant will be given full funding and a complete set of business tools to start independent practice immediately. New Horizons will also provide essential technical tools throughout the training to support hands-on learning.
The N50 million funding for the programme will cover feeding, logistics, training materials, branded clothing, and working tools. New Horizons explained that the empowerment model builds on its previous experience with large-scale interventions, such as the Amnesty Programme under former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and World Bank-supported youth empowerment initiatives.
A practical competition will be held at the end of the programme, where participants will be divided into teams to build and brand personal computers. Graduates will also be registered on a dedicated technical portal for post-training support and mentorship.
New Horizons revealed that the second phase of the Almajiri-to-Tech empowerment programme is scheduled for the second quarter of 2026. The company called on government agencies, NGOs, and development partners to collaborate in expanding the programme’s reach and impact.
“It is part of New Horizons’ practical contribution to the actualisation of the Renewed Hope agenda of the Tinubu administration, because as they say, ‘Devil finds work for idle hands’, therefore fixing the Almajiris problems is central to Nigeria’s overall national stability,” Akano stated.
