By Our Correspondent
Ganye, Adamawa State | Friday, December 5, 2025
The Youth and Women Development Association for Social Transformation (YOWDAST) has graduated another successful batch of trained apprentices under its Open Apprenticeship Programme, marking a major milestone in its ongoing commitment to eradicating poverty and dependency through skills development in Adamawa State’s Ganye, Jada, Toungo, and Mayo-Belwa Local Government Areas.
The graduation ceremony, held in Ganye on Friday, saw dozens of youth and women complete intensive training in marketable trades ranging from tailoring, welding, cosmetology, ICT, and agriculture, to electrical installation and other vocational skills. Each graduate received industry-standard tools to support their transition into self-employment—signaling a new wave of grassroots economic transformation.
Founded over four decades ago, YOWDAST remains a non-religious, non-tribal, and non-political organization dedicated to empowering ordinary people with practical skills and opportunities that transform lives from the bottom up.
“Do Not Sell the Tools—Use Them to Build Your Future,” Bishop Nuhu Advises
Delivering a brief but impactful message, the Bishop of the Bontom Diocese, Bishop Solomon Nuhu, charged the graduates to make responsible use of the knowledge and tools they have received.
He urged them to resist the temptation of selling their starter kits, emphasizing that the real value of empowerment lies in what one builds—not what one cashes in immediately.
> “The real value of these tools is not their price in the market, but the prosperity and dignity they can create for you, your families, and your communities,” he said.
“Use them well, and your success will influence others to follow the same path.”
“You Are Ambassadors of Our Vision,” YOWDAST Chairman Tells Graduates
The Chairman of YOWDAST, Elder Maken Andrew, congratulated the graduating class and reminded them that they now represent the organization and its values.
He called on them to reflect YOWDAST’s culture of service, integrity, resilience, and hard work in their conduct.
> “You are not just beneficiaries; you are ambassadors of YOWDAST’s vision,” he said.
“Carry yourselves with dignity, work with discipline, and let your success become a mirror through which others can see the power of skills and determination.”
Elder Andrew cautioned the graduates against selling their work tools, stressing that they are instruments for building sustainable livelihoods.
> “Do not sell your future for quick money. Use these tools to build a career, build a business, and build lives,” he warned.
He assured them that YOWDAST will continue to provide mentorship and support to help them establish themselves in the marketplace.
“We Chose Transformation Over Surrender”—Hon. Matthias Titus Tola
In his keynote address, the General Secretary of YOWDAST, Hon. Matthias Titus Tola, described the programme as a “movement of hope” that has empowered thousands over the years.
He spoke of unemployment and poverty as silent adversaries that crush dreams, destabilize families, and weaken communities.
> “For more than four decades, YOWDAST has stood as a lighthouse in the storm, guiding thousands of young men and women away from the shadows of joblessness and into the dawn of self-reliance,” he said.
Hon. Tola emphasized that the organisation’s efforts cannot stand alone and called for broad-based support from government, private sector, philanthropists, religious leaders, and well-meaning Nigerians.
> “Support YOWDAST. Fund a skill. Equip a workshop. Transform a life. When you empower one youth, you strengthen one household; when you empower hundreds, you secure a community; and when you empower thousands, you rewrite the story of a nation.”
The graduates, alongside their families and community members present at the ceremony, expressed profound gratitude to YOWDAST and its founding fathers for the life-changing opportunity, describing the programme as a doorway to dignity, income and self-reSelf-reliance.
A Model for Transforming Lives From the Grassroots
The graduation ceremony ended with a resounding applause for YOWDAST’s decades-long legacy of empowering youth and women through practical training and enterprise development.
With each new batch of graduates, YOWDAST strengthens its reputation as a grassroots institution building economic resilience—one skill, one tool, and one dream at a time.
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