Olympians Otu & Troost-Ekong Host SPORT & STEAM Camp in Nigeria
2025 Camp NexGen™ - Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria - Day 1 Group Picture2025 Camp NexGen™ Day 1 Group Picture, Idara Otu & William Troost-Ekong CenteredGet the latest newsdelivered to your inbox Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyNEW YORK, July 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A unique partnership between Wall Street finance veteran-turned-Olympian and Founder of Let Girls Read, Run, Grow (LGRRG), Idara Otu, and Nigerian national soccer team captain William Troost-Ekong has delivered transformative results in the fight against Africa's youth unemployment crisis. Their collaboration powered Camp NexGen™ 2025, a three-day STEAM and sports program that reached 150 underserved Nigerian youth aged 13-15 in Akwa Ibom State.Otu, who proudly competed for Nigeria in Track & Field at the 2012 Olympics while serving as an Energy Trader at JP Morgan says the organization represents her commitment and passion to giving back to her country of heritage after her professional running career ended.Advertisement"The reality we face is that Nigeria's youth unemployment crisis is critical and needs solutions. But herein lies the opportunity-we know the next 30 years of job creation is coming from STEM fields," said Otu, "LGRRG recognized this a decade ago and has created a curriculum to plant the seeds of opportunity and challenge our campers to be great. I ask our youth ‘why not you?' in these careers. The world is theirs for the taking!"The camp featured professional football training led by Troost-Ekong, center-back for Saudi Pro League club Al-Kholood and current captain of Nigeria's National Team, the Super Eagles. Beyond athletics, participants built and flew drones and coded computer games using Scratch programming language through specialized training provided by Global Air University."Camp NexGen™ is not just about sports or science, it's about showing the children that they belong in any room and on any field," said Troost-Ekong, whose Troost-Ekong Foundation served as a foundational partner in planning and fundraising.The program achieved 60% female participation, with 30% representing orphaned youth. Strategic partnerships with US-based Bras for Girls provided each female camper with her first sport bra, removing barriers to continued athletic participation.AdvertisementThis marks the fifth iteration of Camp NexGen™, following previous camps in Lagos, Nigeria; Harare, Zimbabwe; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and Accra, Ghana. LGRRG plans to break ground on a girls' primary school in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.LGRRG is a 501c3 non-profit based in New York City dedicated to building the African girl through education, athletics, and entrepreneurship. For more information about our programs, please visit lgrrg.org.A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a9e6f6cc-a266-488e-acec-f8d4487867f4CONTACT: Media Contact:AdvertisementEmail: [email protected]
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