Technical education and vocational training were part of IFES Foundation’s original purpose, and they remain part of its identity. The Foundation was founded for skill acquisition and empowerment for young people, and its automotive programme combines classroom instruction with hands-on training in the workshop, preparing participants for entry-level roles in the automotive service sector.
The programme draws on the professional background of the Foundation’s founder, Engr. Anthony Friday Ikogwe, who trained as a motor vehicle mechanic, holds City and Guilds of London Institute qualifications in automobile engineering and has led Ikogwe Automobile Works in Benin City since 1996.
The Foundation’s records document several groups of trainees, Batch A, Batch B (trainees of the Edo State Government’s EdoJobs initiative) and Batch 1, together with two courtesy visits to NABTEB, visits by the programme’s patron and a Batch A visit to Government House. The programme continues: its courses are currently taking trainees at the Foundation’s head office in Benin City.














