L-R: Shadrach Fowode, ESG consultant, Kevron Group; Taiwo Arowora, ESG consultant, Kevron Group; Tolulope Adebowale, Executive Assistant to the Governor on Environmental Protection, Lagos State; Otubanjo Ikeoluwa, a participant and Ayodele Afolabi, African Lending Hands Foundation, at the four-day training programme for the youth focused on green skills and environmental sustainability in Lagos.

The office of the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Environmental Protection, through the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), hosted a four-day training programme for the youth of Lagos State focused on green skills and environmental sustainability.

Facilitated by the Kevron Group, the training provided participants with hands-on knowledge about sustainable living. It also introduced them to innovative environmental practices and green skills, along with valuable networking opportunities with like-minded individuals passionate about the environment.

Adebowale Tolulope, the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Environmental Protection Matters, shared that this initiative was born out of the Lagos State Government’s recognition of a gap in current career trends.

Tolulope emphasized that the training aims to bridge this gap and better prepare individuals for a world increasingly focused on sustainability.

She expressed confidence that this programme would cultivate a more qualified workforce, ultimately aiding the State government in achieving its sustainable environment goals.

“In this training, we didn’t just talk about environmental sustainability alone, we also talked about framework, government laws and policies and these have been enshrined in the minds of the participants, so that they can comply in case they are employed as sustainability managers or Environmental Sustainability Goal (ESG) consultants.

This training will enable them to make sure that people comply with the national, sub-national laws and regulations around sustainability,” she said.

She  mentioned that this training came with a certification after participants successfully navigated through some tough assessments on what they had learned.

She highlighted another perk of the program: “it provided participants with the chance to network and connect with various professionals in the same field, helping them to pinpoint gaps in the sustainability sector so they could come up with solutions both locally and globally.”

One of the facilitators, Shadrach Fowode, an ESG consultant with Kevron Consulting Limited, explained that the course was crafted to equip participants with the skills needed to grasp environmental sustainability and learn how to weave developmental sustainability into the corporate world.

He commended the Lagos State Government for its strong enforcement, noting that agencies like LASEPA ensure that organizations in the State adhere to the laws and regulations surrounding environmental sustainability standards.

Fowode also pointed out that the State government has established protective measures, such as a whistleblowing policy and other channels, allowing residents to easily report hazardous environmental incidents to the regulatory authorities.

One participant, Favour Goodwill, the Director of Green Jobs Advisory, shared that she joined the training because she has been actively involved in environmental advocacy for several months, particularly focusing on education for students.

She was eager to gain more professional knowledge in the field to enhance the value she brings to her community.

Favour expressed, “The training was thorough, professional, impactful, and opened my eyes to a field I’m really passionate about. I’m thrilled to be part of it.”

For Oladipupo Ariyo, a final-year mechanical engineering student at Lagos State University (LASU), the training exceeded his expectations. He remarked that he learned a great deal about climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as how individuals can take positive steps to impact on the environment.