GIZ GmbH and GOPA

Edo State faces high youth unemployment, limited opportunities for small business growth, and the urgent need to reintegrate returnees and internally displaced persons. Many of these groups lack the skills, networks, and structured support systems needed to secure sustainable livelihoods, leaving them vulnerable to poverty and exploitation.

To respond, GIZ’s SEDIN programme, in partnership with GOPA, engaged VIISAUS to design and deliver a targeted entrepreneurship and employability intervention. The goal was to equip beneficiaries with practical business and job-ready skills, while creating a scalable model for economic empowerment.

The training was delivered through two modules: Employ (focused on CV writing, job search strategies, and professional branding) and Create (covering business ideation, feasibility analysis, and management skills). Sessions combined face-to-face and online delivery, adapted to COVID-19 protocols, with coaching tailored to participant realities. Monitoring was embedded through daily feedback and post-training evaluations to measure impact and adapt delivery.