COP 28: FGN Partner AUDA On Youth Empowerment
Oru Leonard
The Federal Ministry of Youth Development has signed an agreement with the African Union Development Agency (AUDA) to empower 1 million Nigerian youths through Agro Forestry, land restoration, and staple food cropping.
Honourable Minister of Youth Development, Dr. Jamila Bio-Ibrahim made this known at the just concluded Cop 28 summit in Dubai, UAE, where stakeholders in the African continent came together to discuss the ecosystem as it affects the African continent .
Dr Jamila in her speech explained that the Ministry had agreed to partner with AUDA on their flagship programmes such as energies africa and the AFR 100 initiative, starting in January 2024.
The Minister said the first phase of implementation of these projects will be to restore ten thousand hectares of land in Niger state. According to the Minister, the initiative, which is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’ s 8- point agenda , will be jointly implemented by the federal government and the Niger State government in alignment with the proposed National Youth Service Corp reforms by the federal government.
The Minister revealed that his excellency Muhammed Umar Bago, the Executive Governor of Niger State, has generously committed ten thousand hectares of land towards the implementation of these projects.
She praised him for supporting the projects and the
launching of the Niger State Green Economy blue print at COP 28 UAE.
Dr Bio-Ibrahim further said that the implementation of the critical programme will be done through inclusive multiple stakeholders approach that will comprise but not limited to the following; the Federal Ministries of Works, Environment, Agriculture, Energy, Industry, Trade and Investment, African Union Development Agency Nigeria, and the world Bank appraisal projects.
She expressed optimism that the partnership will usher in a lot of benefits to the youth. She said, ” This strategic partnership forged at COP 28 Partner AUDA on Youth Empowerment symbolizes our commitment to sustainable development, youth empowerment, and environmental stewardship. We are poised to unlock the immense potential of our youth, contributing to job creation, income generation, and economic growth.
The Honourable Minister enjoined concerned Nigerians to work together for the success of the laudable programme. She pointed out that some of the goals of the project are to create jobs, generate income to support participating young people and households as well as to increase the gross domestic product (GDP) of Nigeria.
COP 28 provided the opportunity for appreciating the climate change challenges peculiar to Africa. The conference was aimed at building on previous successes and paving the way for measures to effectively tackle the challenge of climate change .
(FMYD Press)
