Craft Community Impact and Skills Foundation, the registered community-impact vehicle operating from Craft Innovation Hub, says the pilot will support practical data use, workplace productivity, and employability in Kwara.
Demand for practical data skills in Ilorin has pushed Craft Community Impact and Skills Foundation to expand its free Data Analytics and Productivity Pilot Programme to 60 slots after reviewing 102 valid applications, organisers said on Friday.
The programme will run from Monday, 18 May to Saturday, 23 May 2026, at the Craft Innovation Hub facility in Agbo Oba, Ilorin, with selected candidates receiving hands-on training in data cleaning, spreadsheet analysis, Power Query, Pivot Tables, dashboards, data interpretation, and workplace productivity.
The Foundation was incorporated by the Corporate Affairs Commission on 13 February 2026 with Registration Number 9324276, according to its Certificate of Incorporation. Its constitution describes it as a not-for-profit and non-political organisation with objectives including quality education, digital inclusion, vocational skills, free and subsidised training, mentorship, youth empowerment, women empowerment, and community development.
The constitution lists the Foundation’s address as Craft Innovation Hub, beside Juhamz Supermarket, Agbo Oba, Ilorin, Kwara State, while Craft Innovation Hub publicly describes its work as covering tech and vocational training, media services, and NGO/community development programmes focused on education, health outreach, youth empowerment, and inclusion.
Organisers said the programme was expanded into two batches after applications exceeded the initial class plan. Of the 102 valid applications reviewed, 44 applicants have been provisionally placed in two batches, while waitlisted candidates will be considered first as the Foundation completes the 60-candidate intake.
The two daily sessions will run from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm and 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm, allowing more candidates to participate while keeping the sessions practical and manageable. The final day will feature mentorship and certificate presentation for participants who complete the required training activities.
Abdulrasaq Ahmed Abiodun, Chief Operating Officer of Craft Innovation Hub, said the number of applications showed that many students, workers, entrepreneurs, and young professionals were looking for practical skills beyond basic computer use.
“Many people use spreadsheets every day, but they have not been trained to clean data, interpret figures or turn records into decisions. This pilot is our response to that practical gap,” Abiodun said.
He said the training was designed to connect digital skills with real-life productivity.
“We are not only teaching Excel or dashboards. We are helping people understand how information can become insight, and how insight can improve reporting, productivity and decision-making,” he added.
The organisers said the National Productivity Centre had been invited to support the programme’s productivity component, while institutional representatives, partners, and community leaders are expected to participate in the mentorship and certificate presentation session, subject to confirmation.
The Foundation said its waitlist should not be interpreted as a rejection list, but as a standby pool for applicants who may be admitted if selected candidates fail to confirm, arrive late, or become unable to attend.
Because the pilot requires daily physical attendance in Ilorin, organisers said priority was given to Kwara-based applicants for this phase. Applicants outside the state may be considered for future online, hybrid, or expanded training opportunities.
The initiative comes amid growing demand for practical skills in data handling, reporting, and evidence-based decision-making among students, graduates, small business owners, public-sector workers, and young professionals.
Craft Community Impact and Skills Foundation said the response to the pilot would help shape future community-based digital skills programmes in Kwara, including expanded cohorts, mentorship, employability support and deeper training pathways.
