WORLD SKILLS DAY: FGN Committed to Youth Empowerment- Bio … We will incorporate formal and informal youths- Olawande,
Oru Leonard
The Federal Government of Nigeria has declared commitment to Empowering Youths in Nigeria with essential skills for employment and entrepreneurship through the National Youth Skills Programme (NYSP), within its first year of operation.
This was disclosed by the Honourable Minister of Youth Development, Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim, during the commemoration of the 2024 World Youth Skills Day celebration at the National Stadium in Abuja.
Dr. Ibrahim who emphasized the strategic importance of skill acquisition, aligning with this year’s theme, “Youth Skills for Peace and Development,” and its sub-theme, “Upskilling Youth for Peace, Skill up Youth for Development”, also stressed the ministry’s commitment to supporting job creation and reducing unemployment.
Bio who announced an increase in the Youth Investment Fund from N72 billion to N110 billion, enhancing the ministry’s projects aimed at empowering young Nigerians, said the National Youth Skills Programme will soon be inaugurated to target one million beneficiaries in its first year.
She urged youths to leverage on the program as government is dedicated to motivating the youth to shun negative tendencies and embrace positive development pathways.
The Minister of State for Youth Development, Engr. Ayodele Olawande, also addressed the event, outlining the ministry’s plans to incorporate both formal and informal youths into their development programs.
He reiterated a strong commitment to empowering and training seven million youth within the next two years through the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA), with an initial test run involving 60,000 beneficiaries.
He announced plans to collaborate with local governments to ensure each area produces and manufactures local products from indigenous raw materials.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Youth, Mr. Adaramodu Adeyemi, praised the ministry’s initiatives, expressing readiness to support legislative measures that would enhance the lives of Nigerian youth.
Adeyemi highlighted the critical need to focus on youth development, given that young people constitute 60% of Nigeria’s population.
Guest speaker Mr. Kashim Ali, a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, encouraged both young and older citizens to engage in skill acquisition, emphasizing that it is never too late to learn new skills.
The Coordinator of the 2024 Sewing Championship and Executive Director of the Ladi Memorial Foundation, Mrs. Rosemary Ojochenemi Osikoye, highlighted the foundation’s pivotal role in creating a holistic skilling ecosystem to enhance employability and foster a culture of entrepreneurship among young Nigerians.
World Youth Skills Day, observed annually on July 15th, highlights the importance of providing young people with relevant skills for employment, fostering dialogue among key stakeholders including youth, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, employers, policymakers, and development partners.
