The Anglican Diocese of Lagos West, in collaboration with the Terra Academy for the Arts (TAFTA), organised a skills development training for over a hundred young women on Saturday, June 14, at the Caroline Adebiyi Women Development Centre in Ipaja, Lagos. Supported by the Mastercard Foundation, the five-hour session provided participants with practical instruction in arts, entrepreneurship, and digital content creation.
The programme focused on areas such as scriptwriting, animation, and creative business development. Participants were drawn from different parts of the diocese and engaged with experienced facilitators who guided them through various aspects of the creative process and the business skills required to navigate the digital economy.
President of the Diocesan Women’s Organisation and wife of the Bishop, Dr. (Mrs.) Lydia Odedeji, delivered the keynote address. She emphasized the value of equipping women with skills that can support their families and influence their broader communities. In her words, “This is not just about skill acquisition; we are nurturing these young women to become innovators and leaders in various fields of human endeavour.” She added that the country requires “women who can shine as beacons of light in substance and in character.”
For many attendees, the event presented a fresh platform to build upon their creative interests. Esther Omoregie, a law graduate, described the training as a useful foundation for her future ambitions. “The scriptwriting training was particularly valuable,” she said. Another participant, Oluwatise Osinaike, reflected on the experience, noting, “This initiative has helped me leverage on valuable knowledge to refine my creative writing skills and explore new opportunities.”
TAFTA’s involvement reflects its wider mission of building up young Nigerian women in the creative sector. Chinedu Isagbah, the Director of Programs at TAFTA, highlighted the organisation’s continued work in providing practical support. “Over the past three years, we’ve trained more than 42,000 women across Nigeria,” he stated. “Beyond training, we assist them in business registration and accessing loan facilities to kickstart their ventures.”
According to clergy member Kolawole Ariire, who represented the Bishop at the event, the training initiative fits into the Diocese’s long-term plans to support women and youth. He noted that the programme complements the Diocese’s existing vocational training activities and shows its consistent effort to equip young women with relevant tools for today’s challenges.
