Board Empowers Akwa Ibom Youths With Skills Training

About 250 youths have been empowered with vocational training skills by the Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in Akwa Ibom State.

A three-week empowerment scheme organised for the youths by Wedgewood Integrated Investment Limited (WIIL), focused on practical vocational and entrepreneurial skills to address the alarming rate of job crises in the state.

The event aimed at improving employability and reducing youth unemployment in the state amid the prevailing economic challenges.

The training, organisers explained, covered five major areas considered critical for sustainable livelihoods: fashion trade, graphics and content development with social media marketing, solar installation, GSM/mobile phone repair and maintenance, and business skilling with a strong entrepreneurship focus.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, the managing director of Wedgewood Integrated Investment Limited, Emmanuel Abou-Sani, said the initiative became necessary after careful assessment of market realities and gaps in existing empowerment programmes.

“We redefined business for the participants as the ability to exchange skills for monetary value, and that mindset change is the real secret behind the success of this programme,” Abou-Sani said.

He explained that beyond technical training, participants underwent general reorientation sessions covering customer service, sales and marketing, emotional stability, mentorship, apprenticeship and business sustainability to prepare them for real-world challenges.

According to him, many empowerment initiatives fail because they focus solely on skills acquisition without helping beneficiaries understand how to build and sustain viable businesses.