Elegbede Abiodun
Unilever Nigeria Plc and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have achieved a significant milestone in their joint youth empowerment initiative, equipping over 900,000 young Nigerians with employability, digital, and entrepreneurial skills through the Future-X Unilever Campus Ambassadors Programme (FUCAP).
Now two and a half years old, the programme operates through a multi-channel ecosystem that combines UNICEF’s YOMA digital platform, Unilever’s social media presence, and an expanding network of higher education institutions. To date, more than 85,000 students have been reached through 30 physical career seminars held across universities and polytechnics nationwide, facilitated by trained Unilever Future Career Ambassadors.
The initiative sits within the broader Generation Unlimited (GenU) framework, a global public-private alliance focused on connecting young people to education, skills, and employment opportunities. Unilever is a founding global partner of GenU, and in Nigeria, the programme carries strong political backing — Vice President Kashim Shettima serves as Chairman of the GenU Nigeria Board.
At a press briefing in Lagos, Unilever Nigeria Managing Director Tobi Adeniyi described FUCAP as a deliberate investment in scalable platforms designed to help young Nigerians transition confidently from learning to earning. He tied the programme to Unilever’s sustainability agenda and its alignment with several UN Sustainable Development Goals.
UNICEF’s Lagos Office Chief and GenU Nigeria Lead, Celine Lafoucriere, noted that FUCAP — now active in 20 universities — is helping to close the persistent gap between academic training and industry expectations by bringing practical, real-world knowledge directly to students and creating clearer pathways into employment.
