The MTN Foundation has partnered with CleanAce Foundation and Academy to train 30 hearing-impaired Nigerians in professional dry-cleaning and fabric care, in a move aimed at expanding economic opportunities for persons with disabilities.
The Inclusive Fabricare Skills Empowerment Programme was unveiled at a stakeholders’ event in Lagos on June 23, 2026, with organisers describing it as the first initiative of its kind to bridge the skills gap in Nigeria’s growing fabric care industry while promoting inclusion.
The six-month programme will provide three months of classroom and practical training, followed by two months of paid internship with leading dry-cleaning firms and a final month for assessment and consolidation.
Successful participants will receive a government-recognised certificate developed in partnership with the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs and the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board. The qualification, which is equivalent to a semi-diploma, is expected to improve beneficiaries’ chances of securing employment or establishing their own businesses.
Founder of the CleanAce Group, Eniibukun Adebayo, said the initiative was inspired by the outstanding performance of a hearing-impaired employee whose success challenged existing workplace assumptions.
He said, “We gave one person an opportunity, and he excelled. What others learned in a month, he learned in a week.
“We started this programme on our own, trained six cohorts, and now, with MTN Foundation’s support, we’re scaling up to reach even more people.”
Adebayo, who also chairs the Fabricare Professionals and Dry Cleaners Association, said more than 200 dry-cleaning businesses across Nigeria were ready to employ graduates of the programme.
According to him, successful trainees could earn starting salaries of over ₦200,000 monthly, while many would also have opportunities to establish their own businesses.
He added that applicants must be Lagos residents registered with LASODA and possess at least a secondary school certificate, noting that registration had commenced.
Senior Manager, Programme Implementation at MTN Foundation, Edward Fagbohun, said disability, equity and inclusion remained central to the Foundation’s mission.
He said, “In many parts of the world, disability is still seen as a disadvantage. We want to prove that ability is everywhere and that with the right support, persons with disabilities can thrive as self-reliant contributors to society.”
Fagbohun added that the Foundation would conduct a comprehensive impact evaluation after the pilot phase, with plans to expand the programme if successful.
The initiative also received commendation from disability advocates.
Chairman of the Lagos Chapter of the Association of Sign Language Interpreters of Nigeria, Olubowale Sodeinde, described the programme as “a landmark step toward real inclusion” and urged more corporate organisations to emulate the initiative.
Founder of Friends of the Deaf International Foundation, Funmilola Ogunro, said the programme was shifting the conversation “from charity to empowerment.”
One of the beneficiaries, Moses Peter Abba, a hearing-impaired employee of CleanAce, recounted how the opportunity transformed his life.
“When I started, I thought the work looked too technical. But within a week, I was ironing independently. The opportunity changed my life,” he said.
The event ended with a tour of the CleanAce training facility, where guests were shown the inclusive learning environment prepared for the first batch of trainees.
