Empowering Communities Through Skill Acquisition
St. Gabriel Skill Acquisition and Empowerment Foundation, founded by Hon. Adebayo Ayodele Gabriel, popularly known as Mr. Pace, is a non-governmental organization based in Akure, Ondo State, dedicated to transforming lives through vocational training and empowerment. Established in 2012 and registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (Registration Number: IT-57636), the foundation operates from its headquarters at No. 32 Ijomu Street, Akure, with a mission to combat unemployment and poverty by equipping youths, widows, and vulnerable communities with practical, market-relevant skills.
The foundation offers comprehensive training programs in diverse vocations, including tailoring, cake making, soap making, weaving, decorations, welding, carpentry, barbing, hairdressing, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). These programs, often spanning two to three years, empower participants to start their own businesses or secure employment, fostering economic independence and social inclusion. By addressing the socio-economic challenges faced by the less privileged, St. Gabriel Foundation is building a brighter future for Ondo State and beyond.
Our Vision
To be a leading non-governmental organization in Nigeria, empowering unemployed youths, widows, and vulnerable communities through skill acquisition, fostering self-reliance, and driving socio-economic development across Ondo State and beyond.
Our Mission
To provide accessible, high-quality vocational training and empowerment opportunities to the less privileged, enabling them to achieve economic independence, dignity, and the ability to contribute meaningfully to their communities through sustainable livelihoods.
Our Impact
Since its inception, St. Gabriel Skill Acquisition and Empowerment Foundation has transformed countless lives by equipping individuals with practical skills to overcome poverty and unemployment. In April 2025, in collaboration with the Tomiwa Aregbesola Foundation, we empowered 60 trainees with working tools, including sewing machines, hairdressing equipment, laptops, clippers, and embroidery machines, enabling them to start their own businesses. Additionally, 50 widows received textile materials and cash gifts to support their livelihoods. The foundation also received an industrial sewing machine to enhance its training capacity.
Our efforts have been recognized widely, including the prestigious Niger Delta Legendary Impact Award conferred on our founder, Hon. Adebayo Ayodele Gabriel. As commended by the Deji and Paramount Ruler of Akure Kingdom, Oba Ogunlade Aladelusi, our work inspires others to contribute to society, with beneficiaries encouraged to use their skills to uplift their lives and give back to their communities.
Words That Inspire Our Mission
"There is no tool for development more effective than the education of girls." – Kofi Annan
"When you educate a girl, you empower a nation." – Michelle Obama
"The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle." – Steve Jobs
"You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over." – Richard Branson
"The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice." – Brian Herbert
"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." – Benjamin Franklin