FG upscales investment in youths to improve economic growth
Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare according
to a statement by Director, Press and Public Relations, Mohammed Manga, disclosed
in Lagos on Sunday, at the closing ceremony of the six-week training on
Economic Sustainability Plan, ESP, organised by the Ministry across the 36 states
of the Federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
He said that deliberate and strategic investment in young
people is required for the high percentage of the youth population in the
country to become a demographic dividend.
“When the youth are positively engaged, there will be a
reduction in the indices of crime and delinquency, which are factors that are
inimical to national development efforts,” Dare said.
He stated that the approach of the Ministry has been the
inclusion of youth employment as a priority segment of the National Youth
Policy, NYP, for which a framework for implementation has been provided in the
Nigerian Youth Employment Plan, NYEP, adding that the agenda which will be
launched in the next few weeks, will deliver a comprehensive approach to youth
employment interventions through multi sector collaborations, that emphasize on
the Four Es: Employability, Entrepreneurship Development, Employment Creation
and Equal Opportunity.
“This framework will ensure the inclusion of partners across
sectors and will create a robust partnership base through my Ministry that will
ensure wider reach of youth employment programmes across the country. With new
challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, innovative solutions and a
robust partnership are required to support youth participation in the process of
rebuilding through deliberate and strategic investment that will lead to
sustainable economic growth and transformation,” he added.
According to him, the programme was an expression of the
priority focus of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration which is to
among other things ensure “job creation for youth and to lift 100 million
Nigerians out of poverty in the next ten years.”
He, therefore, called on all Nigerian youth to take up the
challenge for self-development that will support their inclusion in nation
building, stating further that youth have the potentials, talents and energy
for skills development and other opportunities that will give them leverage in
the global economy.
Dare further assured that the current administration was committed
to the task of youth development and will continue to provide an enabling
environment and innovative solutions to challenges of youth in the country.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of
Youth and Sports Development, Mr Nebeolisa Anako while distributing starter
packs and other empowerment tools to the participants at the closing ceremony
in Abuja, stated that the Ministry will continue to ensure full implementation
of the programmes and projects of the Federal Government in line with the
policy thrust of the current administration.
He explained that the Ministry will continue to monitor
their progress periodically to provide guidance and ensure compliance in line
with the objectives of the programme.
Anako who applauded the Federal Government on its various
interventions on youth empowerment, particularly the DEEL initiative which was
conceived and launched by the Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr Dare, said that
the programme was designed to ensure a coordinated mechanism that will employ
strategies to enhance the competitive aged of Nigerian youth with a focus on
Digital Skills, Employability, Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Mentoring.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Director, Enterprise
Development and Promotion Department of the Ministry, Mr Gbenga Momoh assured that participants will put the skills
they acquired during the training into practice for the purpose of
self-development so as to enhance economic growth.
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