Educating Nigerian Girls in New Enterprises (ENGINE)

Gender dynamics in Northern Nigeria generally place significant economic decision-making into the hands of men regarding girls’ and women’s access to basic services (e.g. health and education). Many girls aged 15 to 19 are formally employed, with a higher percentage informally employed or underemployed, earning money on an ad-hoc basis. Adolescent girls in Northern Nigeria require vocational and skills-based training, along with direct access to assets, in order to increase their economic and social status and enhance their earning potential. ENGINE will equip marginalized girls/young women (ages 17 to 19) to successfully integrate into the Coca-Cola value chain by preparing and facilitating their transition to work. With skills obtained through training, girls who choose to become retailers within the Coca-Cola value chain will have the opportunity to increase their direct income and long-term assets. ENGINE will engage up to 10,500 girls in Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina states. ENGINE will focus on marginalized girls/young women not in school and not currently reached through bilateral programmes. ENGINE is structured around the theory of change that if more marginalised Nigerian girls access demand-driven skills, then they will delay marriage, have lower fertility rates, increased earning power, and increased decision-making within the household;