COSDEF Highlights Community Skills and Economic Empowerment

COSDEF Highlights Community Skills and Economic Empowerment. The Community Skills Development Foundation (COSDEF) has reaffirmed its role in driving grassroots empowerment by showcasing the impact of its skills training initiatives. Through a recent community-focused event, COSDEF demonstrated how practical training is transforming lives and creating pathways to income generation.

Speaking at the event, Joram Shifa, COSDEF’s representative for communication and stakeholder engagement, emphasized the importance of bringing training directly to the people. “As part of a demonstration of our efforts, we brought a group of trainees to the event who are conducting live skill demonstrations across various fields,” she explained.

The demonstrations highlighted how participants are applying their training in areas such as arts, crafts, and manufacturing. According to Shifa, the showcased work stands as proof of the trainees’ ability to produce quality goods that can be sold in the marketplace, thus supporting sustainable livelihoods.

COSDEF operates through Community Skills Development Centres (COSDECs), which focus on equipping young people and disadvantaged groups with practical skills. Beyond technical expertise, the centres also place strong emphasis on business development, entrepreneurship, and life skills, ensuring trainees are better positioned to succeed in the job market or start their own ventures.

Initially established to strengthen arts and crafts capacity, COSDEF has grown into a platform that not only develops talent but also provides a sales outlet for locally produced goods. This dual approach—training and market access—ensures that skills development translates into tangible economic benefits for individuals and communities.

In addition to the live demonstrations, COSDEF also made application forms available at its stalls for those interested in enrolling. Applications are open for the 2026 intake, offering new opportunities for individuals seeking to gain practical skills and chart new economic pathways.