APIN Hands Over AYP Vocational Skills Hub To Oyo Government For Sustainability
The Oyo State Government has taken over the Adolescent and Young People (AYP) Hub established by APIN Public Health Initiatives in Ibadan to ensure the sustainability of its vocational skills training programmes amid a reduction in funding from the United States.
The official transition of the hub to the Oyo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion took place on Friday, at the Liwom Pediatrics and Adolescents Center, SW8/422D College Crescent Road, beside MC Demonstration School, Oke-Ado, Ibadan.
Speaking at the event, the Head of Office, APIN Public Health Initiatives in Oyo State, Dr. Folake Adurogbola, said the decision to hand over the facility was informed by the need to preserve the achievements recorded by the centre and ensure that its activities continued despite the decline in funding supporting some of the organisation’s projects.
Adurogbola explained that APIN had sustained the hub for years but was concerned that the facility might struggle to continue operating without a sustainable funding arrangement.
She said the handover to the Oyo State Government, as the host government, was intended to prevent the centre from becoming inactive and ensure that it continued to provide vocational training and other support services for children and adolescents.
According to her, the transition represents a strategic step towards securing the future of the hub and preserving its role in empowering young people with practical skills for self-reliance.
In her remarks, the Oyo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Alhaja Joke Sani, represented by the Director of Child Welfare in the State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Inclusion, Mr. Gbemileke Ojerinde, said the state government is pleased to take over the facility and committed to building on the achievements recorded by APIN.
Ojerinde commended APIN Public Health Initiatives for establishing, maintaining and sustaining the centre over the years, noting that the organisation had provided an important platform for youth development and vocational empowerment.
He assured that the state government would make provision for the hub in its budget to support its continued operation and sustainability.
The director added that the government intended not only to sustain the existing programmes but also to expand the centre’s reach and improve its capacity to serve more children and adolescents.
Earlier, the AYP Hub Coordinator, Mr. Adeniji Samuel, said the centre was established to help reduce social vices among children and adolescents by engaging them in productive activities and equipping them with practical skills.
He listed some of the training programmes offered at the hub to include catering, fashion designing, computer training and programming, musical instrument playing and other vocational activities designed to promote creativity, employability and self-reliance.
Samuel said the centre had recorded several success stories through its training programmes, adding that it had also received accreditation from the Federal Government following an inspection.
He welcomed the Oyo State Government’s takeover of the facility and appealed for adequate funding, resources and institutional support to enable the hub to build on its achievements and extend its impact.
Some of the learners at the centre, including Oluwasan Ayomide, Amosun Mathew and Rachel Inioluwa, expressed appreciation to APIN Public Health Initiatives for establishing the hub and supporting their development.
The learners also shared experiences of the skills they had acquired at the centre, highlighting the opportunities the training had provided for their personal growth and future aspirations.
The transition is expected to strengthen government ownership of the initiative and provide a framework for sustaining vocational training and youth empowerment programmes at the hub beyond the period of APIN’s direct management.