Sunday Okobi
Lagos State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on a partnership with Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan African University in Lagos.
The collaboration would aid the state to assist 10, 000 young females in the area of human capital development and acquisition of skills and knowledge, which are necessary for employability and entrepreneurship growth in the state.
The Ministry of Employment and Job Creation consummated the partnership with the signing of a MoU last Tuesday at a press briefing organised to herald the commencement of the training billed to run for 24 months.
As contained in a statement signed by the Director of Public Affairs, Ministry of Employment and Job Creation, Mrs. Ibironke Famakinwa, the “Transformation of Nigerian Youths’ programme, starting in the first quarter of the running year is in line with the actualisation of the THEMES Plus developmental agenda of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu-led administration.”
Responding to questions from journalists, Famakinwa said the government cannot solve societal problems in isolation, hence the collaboration, which he said is one out of tens of other initiatives of the government in line with the effort to make Lagos a 21st century economy.
Adding that the state will also announce its male-focused empowerment initiative in due course, the Commissioner of Employment and Job Creation, Ajigbotife, disclosed that the 10,000 young women would be trained within the next 24 months, using a combination of online partner-sponsored and physical community learning under the programme.
He stated that the application for the training programme would be opened to all youths in the 20 local government area and 37 Local Council Development Areas in the state, stressing that a seed capital of N200,000 would be given to the best 80 participants who complete the programme.
While enunciating the importance of collaboration, Ajigbotafe said to actualise the mandate of the ministry in the areas of executing policies on wealth creation and employment-related issues in the state, the ministry needs to broaden its partnership drive and expand its collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
He added that the present economic situation in Nigeria and across the globe also makes it obvious that the government can no longer work in isolation, hence, the need to collaborate with the organised private sector to actualise its dream of wealth creation and employment for the teeming youths in Lagos State.
This, he said informed the partnership with the EDC of the Pan-Atlantic University on Capacity Building and Human Capital Development for Youth on skills and knowledge necessary for employability and entrepreneurship growth for the development of the state through the transformation of Nigerian youths programme powered by the MasterCard foundation.
Speaking about the capacity of EDC to deliver on the programme, the commissioner stated that the training firm has been in existence for over 20 years and has the focus to deepen the ecosystem, empower and develop the mindset of young people in the areas of entrepreneurship training, creative art, digital and agro-based business sectors considered to be the most attractive to young people.
“The programme will commence with a pilot of 2,000 women. The focus for the training will be in the areas of Digital, Agro, and Creative Sectors,” as he listed the expected outcome of the programme to include a reduction in the unemployment rate, mindset reorientation, management capacity development, and stakeholder engagement among others,” the statement concluded.
