-Blank NEWS Online (NIGERIA) –By Albert OGRAKA:
DELTA State government has further reaffirmed it’s determination to sustain the various ongoing, upscaled empowerment and wealth creation programmes, especially amongst youths in communities across the oil rich State.
This is just as the state government approved the commencement of a new cycle for another two youth investments schemes, Rural Youths Skill Acquisition (RYSA) and the Girls Entrepreneurship and Skills Training (GEST) programmes.
Up to 900 girls between 18 and 35 years. are expected to be empowered under the project GEST while 810 youths were being targeted under the RYSA programme.
Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, made the disclosure on Wednesday, May 4, 2021 during a post state executive council media briefing at Government House, Asaba.
Aniagwu who was flanked by his counterpart in the Ministry of Youth Development, Comrade Ifeanyi Egwunyenga and Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, stated that the approval followed Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s desire to upscale the number of intakes for the various job creation programmes.
Other ongoing and successful schemes in the state include Skills Training Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP) and Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurship Programme (YAGEP), among others under the supervision of the state’s Job and Wealth Creation Bureau
Aniagwu, boasted that no fewer than 20 to 50 persons from the existing 270 Federal wards in Delta State may have benefitted from the job and wealth creation initiative of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration.
In a corroborative statement, the Youth Development commissioner, Egwunyenga said that the essence of the recent approvals was to further deepen the state government’s job creation programme with the aim of bringing it closer to the people.
“More importantly in the RYSA Programme or community business school specifically designed for skilled youths, the mindset and value reorientation is to ensure that the starter packs are put to productive use.
“The Governor’s drive is tied to sustainability of the job creation programmes and we have had a collaborative framework with all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government on training processes and provision of starter packs.”
He noted that the current Federal Government’s SME’s programme, hinged on Covid-19 is a tacit cue from the Delta State job and wealth creation programmes which commenced in 2015 and was upscaled in 2019.
“The Federal Government is now doing what Delta State government has been doing in the case of job and wealth creation since the inception of Governor Okowa’s administration in 2015. We have been creating SMEs. We are ahead in Nigeria on Job creation.”
He further revealed that the various empowerment programmes have different criteria for admission of beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, majority of Deltans have agreed that the provision of various empowerment schemes which included Skills Training Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP), Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurship Programme (YAGEP), and Girl Child Entrepreneurship and Skill Training (GEST), among others are sure ways to tackling insecurity and unemployment in the country.
They explained further that these genuine efforts that have been put in place by the state government were to curb youth restiveness and engage the youths meaningfully.
