“My name is Kelvin Bob-Manuel. I love to talk. I love meeting people.”

Kelvin Bob-Manuel | Communications Coordinator | WAVE

“I love to help people discover their talent and connect them to opportunities. I would say WAVE has helped me discover my potential. It has helped me become more self-aware. Before attending WAVE, I think that I just used to live my life for myself alone. I realised that I can actually create an impact in peoples' lives and support them in achieving their goals and inspire them to do more.”

“It is important to tell these stories so that young people have hope and are able to believe in themselves so that they can become what they imagine. But we must start with leveling the playing field so that everyone has access to equal opportunity.

“We want to give many young people a beacon of hope so that they don’t have to engage in illicit activities. You don’t have to do unlawful things to survive. There are opportunities abound, but because there is not a level playing field, they are being marginalized.

“One of the big things on our plate this year is rewiring the education to employment ecosystem; advocacy for competency-based education and hiring. Why the education system needs to teach relevant/work-readiness skills and employers need to focus on competencies instead of credentials which would aid inclusive hiring. In addition, how do we tell the education system to start to partner with employers to build a relationship wherein they are constantly in touch with reality and demands of the labour market

“If you give to WAVE [West Africa Vocational Education] we will ensure that we are continuously giving young people access to legitimate opportunities and helping them to reach their potential.”