UNDP, FG sign MoU on youth entrepreneurship

Maiduguri

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the federal government on a five year youths and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) entrepreneurship empowerment training in Nigeria.
The UNDP Country Director, Mr. Samuel Bwalya, disclosed this, Saturday, in Maiduguri during a media round table with journalists in Maiduguri held after the closing ceremony of a 6-day entrepreneurship training workshop for selected youths and IDPs from the 27 local government areas of Borno state.
He said the programme, targeted at 200 million youths and IDPs in Nigeria, would fast track socio-economic development of the country and create employment opportunities for the teeming youths and IDPs towards accelerating entrepreneurship development for self reliance.
He added that the trainin had started in some states, including Borno as the first pilot state, with Delta as the next state while plans were underway to hold similar training programmes in Adamawa, Yobe, Benue and Edo states with 50 participants in each state.
The director reiterated the UNDP commitment and determination to give the youths quality and standard training as competent and professional experts were schemed into the programme across the country, including technical colleges, colleges of technology, polytechnics and universities of technology.
He said the purpose of including the schools was to ensure continuity of the programme by the government and schools as resource persons, even after the five- year period of implementation as the UNDP would then disengage and hand over the programme to the federal government.
Bwalya further explained that the programme was intended to be implemented in three areas, including viability, innovation and financial support to the young entrepreneurs.
The UNDP Director also said the intervention on viability, innovation and entrepreneurship has a target of 200 million youths to be trained in 5 years.
Borno state Commissioner for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, Prof Babagana Umara Zulum, thanked the UNDP for organising the programme and assured state government’s continuous support and collaboration towards the effectiveness of the programme.

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