From Workshop to World Cup: Zeberced’s FIFA-approved Academy to scout, train young Nigerian footballers

Zeberced Group says it will use football to fast-track youth development in Nigeria as part of a sweeping investment that combines technical training, industrial jobs and a FIFA‑approved children’s and youth football academy.

The Managing Director Adil Aydin Kurt confirmed the group’s dual plan during a courtesy visit by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council to Zeberced’s Abuja Industrial Park Free Zone facilities,
a world‑class Technical and Vocational Training School that will admit roughly 2,000 young Nigerians annually and a FIFA‑approved football academy focused on identifying, nurturing and exposing talented children and youths to national and international opportunities.

“The academy will be dedicated to discovering and grooming talented children and young people for professional football careers at both local and international levels,” Mr. Kurt said, linking sport development to the firm’s broader goal of human capital growth.

He added that the vocational school covering construction, machine and design, motor vehicle, plumbing, metalwork, furniture and electrical/electronics technologies will feed a stronger labour market while creating an estimated 40,000 direct jobs.

For Nigerian football, the academy promises multiple benefits:
• Talent pathway: systematic scouting and technical coaching for children and youth will increase the pool of well‑trained prospects for local clubs, academies and national teams.
• Dual career model: combining vocational training with football coaching can give young players practical skills and post‑playing career options reducing the risk of career‑ending economic vulnerability.
• International exposure: a FIFA‑approved status opens pathways for international exchanges, tournaments and talent pipelines to clubs abroad.
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NUJ FCT Chairman Comrade Grace Ike welcomed the initiative, describing it as a timely intervention that will not only address unemployment and skills gaps but also create structured opportunities for aspiring footballers.

She also used the meeting to brief Zeberced on the NUJ Council’s ongoing ultra‑modern Congress Hall project and sought the company’s support.

Zeberced’s plans form part of a larger industrial vision that includes establishing hundreds of factories in the Idu Industrial Area and operating Africa’s first integrated mining quarry of its kind.

Mr. Kurt said the company is committed to long‑term investments and technology transfer across manufacturing, construction and sports development, noting: “We need to bring qualified people from different parts of the world to Nigeria because the future is Africa.”

If fully realised, the academy could reshape grassroots football pathways in the Federal Capital Territory and beyond by combining top‑level coaching, scouting networks and vocational safety nets for players.

The academy represents a potential steady stream of technically and socially prepared young players ready for competitive football or alternative careers.

The Zeberced project also signals an emerging model in Nigeria where corporate investment in industry pairs with sports development to deliver both economic and athletic outcomes linking factory floors with football fields as complementary arenas for youth opportunity.