{"id":2675,"date":"2026-07-04T18:59:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T15:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zeberced-group-to-launch-fifa-approved-football-academy-for-young-nigerians\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T18:59:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T15:59:33","slug":"zeberced-group-to-launch-fifa-approved-football-academy-for-young-nigerians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/zeberced-group-to-launch-fifa-approved-football-academy-for-young-nigerians\/","title":{"rendered":"Zeberced Group to Launch FIFA-Approved Football Academy for Young Nigerians"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Zeberced Group has announced plans to launch a FIFA-approved football academy aimed at identifying, developing and promoting talented young Nigerians toward professional careers at both home and abroad.<\/p>\n<h2>Academy plan unveiled during NUJ FCT visit<\/h2>\n<p>Zeberced Group\u2019s Managing Director, Mr. Adil Aydin Kurt, shared the proposal during a courtesy visit by the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council. The delegation was led by its Chairman, Comrade Grace Ike, and the meeting took place at the company\u2019s facilities within the Abuja Industrial Park Free Zone, where both sides discussed potential avenues for strategic cooperation.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Kurt said the academy is designed to discover and groom promising children and young people for professional football pathways at local and international levels, while also supporting longer-term youth development goals.<\/p>\n<h2>Big vocational push: training and jobs at scale<\/h2>\n<p>Beyond football, Mr. Kurt also outlined an ambitious investment programme centered on establishing a Technical and Vocational Training School. He said the plan targets the training of about 2,000 young Nigerians every year, alongside the creation of at least 40,000 direct jobs.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mr. Kurt said Zeberced is already working on a vocational training school that will provide instruction in multiple fields for young Nigerians.<\/li>\n<li>He added that the initiative is intended to deliver 40,000 direct jobs and is currently described as the largest operation of its type in West Africa.<\/li>\n<li>He said the institution will be built to equip young people with practical, industry-relevant capabilities to support employment, self-reliance and entrepreneurship.<\/li>\n<li>He stressed that the company is focused on long-term investments to speed up skills development, industrialisation and human capital growth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Courses set for the technical school<\/h3>\n<p>Based on the architectural plan for the school, training will cover a broad range of specialised technical areas, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Construction Technology<\/li>\n<li>Machine and Design Technology<\/li>\n<li>Motor Vehicle Technology<\/li>\n<li>Plumbing Technology<\/li>\n<li>Metal Technology<\/li>\n<li>Furniture Technology<\/li>\n<li>Electrical and Electronics Technology<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Industrial expansion, mining operations and national development<\/h2>\n<p>Mr. Kurt also used the visit to describe Zeberced Group\u2019s wider industrial ambitions across the Nigerian economy. He said the company operates what he referred to as Africa\u2019s first integrated mining quarry of its kind, while continuing to expand investment activity across manufacturing, construction and other priority sectors.<\/p>\n<p>On its industrial vision, the Managing Director said Zeberced intends to support the creation of hundreds of factories within the Idu Industrial Area. The goal, he said, is to strengthen local manufacturing, widen employment opportunities and reduce Nigeria\u2019s reliance on imported goods.<\/p>\n<p>He noted that the industrial development effort began roughly 15 years ago and has encountered multiple challenges, but has continued to progress through resilience and continued investment.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>He said investments in manufacturing, furniture production and plastics-related industries\u2014backed by modern infrastructure and advanced equipment\u2014are intended to support Nigeria\u2019s industrial transformation.<\/li>\n<li>He described Zeberced\u2019s corporate philosophy as focused on sustainable value for Nigeria through strategic investments, technology transfer, skills development and large-scale job creation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Mr. Kurt also expressed confidence in the country\u2019s future, saying the company is serious about its work and has \u201cmany ideas and visions\u201d to share. He added that it aims to bring qualified professionals from across the world to Nigeria, arguing that \u201cthe future is Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>NUJ FCT response and support request<\/h2>\n<p>In her remarks, Comrade Grace Ike commended Zeberced Group for its commitment to empowering young people, expanding skills, and supporting national development. She said the proposed vocational training institution and the company\u2019s industrial expansion are timely interventions that can help tackle unemployment, encourage self-reliance among young Nigerians, and back the country\u2019s economic diversification agenda.<\/p>\n<p>Comrade Ike also briefed Zeberced\u2019s management on the NUJ FCT Council\u2019s ongoing ultra-modern Congress Hall project, which she said has reached the decking stage. She appealed for Zeberced Group\u2019s assistance to complete the facility, explaining that the Congress Hall would provide a permanent venue for congresses, professional discussions, training programmes and other official activities of the NUJ FCT Council.<\/p>\n<p>Responding, Mr. Kurt indicated that Zeberced Group is willing to support the project, reiterating its readiness to form partnerships that strengthen institutions and contribute to national development.<\/p>\n<p>The visit ended with both organisations expressing optimism about building a strategic relationship that can drive industrial growth, youth development, professional capacity building and sustainable socio-economic progress across Nigeria.<\/p>\n<h2>Zeberced\u2019s footprint since 2007<\/h2>\n<p>Zeberced Group said it has been operating in Nigeria since 2007, with investments spanning manufacturing, construction, industrial infrastructure and human capital development.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Zeberced Group has announced plans to launch a FIFA-approved football academy aimed at identifying, developing and promoting talented young Nigerians toward professional careers at both home and abroad. Academy plan unveiled during NUJ FCT visit Zeberced Group\u2019s Managing Director, Mr. Adil Aydin Kurt, shared the proposal during a courtesy visit by the leadership of the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"Zeberced Group Launches FIFA-Approved Football Academy","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Zeberced Group reveals plans for a FIFA-approved football academy in Nigeria, spotlighting young talent and pathways to pro career","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ 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Over four years, she helped evolve the platform from a simple blog into one of South Africa\u2019s leading independent entertainment news sites. Following ZAlebs\u2019 transition to Celebrity Worx in 2016, Zibuyile was promoted to Executive Editor, recognized for her sharp audience insight and ability to match editorial with branded content. Highlights of her time include a Bookmark Award nomination, judging TLC\u2019s Next Great Presenter, reporting from the MTV EMAs, and building partnerships with radio stations like YFM, Cliff Central, and Good Hope FM. Her editorial work also expanded to include fast-growing digital verticals\u2014such as lifestyle tech, online entertainment, and gambling-related content\u2014tailored to evolving reader interests and brand opportunities.","sameAs":["https:\/\/za.linkedin.com\/in\/zibuyile-dladla-9a26628a"],"url":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/author\/zibuyile-dladla\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2675"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2675\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zalebs.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}