Terra Kulture, a leading educational and recreational organization, has partnered with the Mastercard Foundation to train up to 65,000 creatives across Nigeria. The five-year training partnership program aims to equip young Nigerians with relevant skills across key sub-sectors in theatre and business. The initiative will form a significant part of the Terra Academy for The Arts (TAFTA) program.

The partnership will create an e-learning platform that will provide free education and access to employment opportunities to the most vulnerable youth, with a major focus on women between 16-35 years in Lagos, Ogun, and Kano States. The partnership will also provide participants with foundational training, support, internships, and employment and financial services linkages.

Speaking on the partnership, the Chief Executive Officer of Terra Kulture, Bolanle Austen-Peters, stated that the intervention would positively impact Nigerian youth and culture, both now and in the nearest future.

She said, “Driving impact and creating massive visibility for the Nigerian culture and youth has always been at the core of our existence. We have leveraged our thorough understanding of arts, culture, and languages over the years to impact the next generation in the best way possible. We are extremely excited to partner with the Mastercard Foundation to further empower up to 65,000 Nigerian youth spread across the country.”

“The Academy will provide training on key technical production skills for theatre and the Creative industry. Each course will include an entrepreneurial module for students to learn about the industry’s business side. Some of the courses offered include Animation, Scriptwriting, Lighting Management, and Sound Management. We believe this will create employment opportunities for young creatives and make them self-reliant while facilitating national integration among students.”

The entry requirement for all students is a minimum of senior secondary school qualifications. All courses will include an introductory section, and as such, students do not need any prior knowledge to either register for the course or comprehend the course material.

The Mastercard Foundation’s Country Head for Nigeria, Chidinma Lawanson, commented, “This partnership will enable us to reach more young people, especially young women in the Creative sector. Together with our partner, we will provide access to training, skills, and mentorship platforms which will further create access to entrepreneurial and employment opportunities for young creatives in Nigeria.”

The partnership is aligned with the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy in Nigeria, which seeks to enable 10 million young Nigerian women and men, to access dignified work and the right skills to contribute to Africa’s global competitiveness.

L-R: Program Lead, MSME Finance, Mastercard Foundation, Chioma Nwagboso; Country Head – Nigeria, Mastercard Foundation, Chidinma Lawanson; Founder, Terra Kulture and BAP Productions, Bolanle Austen-Peters and Program Lead, Agriculture, Mastercard Foundation; Lois Sankey during the signing of a 5-year training partnership program agreement between Terra Kulture and the Mastercard Foundation to equip 65,000 young people  with relevant skills across key sub-sectors in theatre and business.

L-R: Lead, Safeguarding, Mastercard Foundation, Oluranti Adetoye; Program Lead, MSME Finance, Mastercard Foundation, Chioma Nwagboso; Country Head – Nigeria, Mastercard Foundation, Chidinma Lawanson; Founder, Terra Kulture and BAP Productions, Bolanle Austen-Peters; Program Lead, Agriculture, Mastercard Foundation; Lois Sankey and the General Manager, Terra Kulture, Joseph Umoibom during the signing of a 5-year training partnership program agreement between Terra Kulture and the Mastercard Foundation to equip 65,000 young people with relevant skills across key sub-sectors in theatre and business.

L-R: Program Lead, MSME Finance, Mastercard Foundation, Chioma Nwagboso; Country Head – Nigeria, Mastercard Foundation, Chidinma Lawanson; Founder, Terra Kulture and BAP Productions, Bolanle Austen-Peters; Program Lead, Agriculture, Mastercard Foundation; Lois Sankey and the General Manager, Terra Kulture, Joseph Umoibom during the signing of a 5-year training partnership program agreement between Terra Kulture and the Mastercard Foundation to equip 65,000 young people with relevant skills across key sub-sectors in theatre and business.

Terra Kulture Arts and Studios Limited (formerly Terra Kulture Limited – The Nigerian Cultural Centre) is an educational and recreational organization set up in 2003 to promote the richness and diversity of Nigerian languages, arts and culture. Terra Kulture has organized over 200 art exhibitions, over 150 plays, 65 book readings and over 10,000 individual adults and children, as well as school trips, have attended our language classes.

Its production arm, BAP Productions has produced award winning musicals and plays including Saro the Musical, Wakaa the Musical, Queen Moremi the Musical, The Oluronbi Musical, Man Enough, Fela and the Kalakuta Death and the King’s Horseman and Trials of bro Jero and also movies such as The Bling Lagosians, 93days, Man of God and soon to be released Collision Course.