Minister for Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, has received a delegation from the Nigerian Youth Economic Engagement and De-Radicalization Programme (NIYEEDEP) in his office to discuss the way forward for the initiative.
The delegation included the Coordinator-General, Comrade Kennedy Iyere; representatives from the American Grant Writers Association, Ms. Staci Smith and Mr.Marc Paley; as well as African representative for Bayern Munich Football Club, Mr. Victor Obinna Edeh. Others were Innocent Chime, CEO of Top7 Orlando and Onyeka Ogbu, a retired Director at CBN.
During the visit, the Minister was briefed on the progress of the NIYEEDEP and the scheduled unveiling of the youth farmers enrollment portal, which is expected to create millions of direct jobs for Nigerian Youths across the agricultural value chain.
Comrade Kennedy, the Coordinator-General, in his address, appreciated the Minister for receiving the delegation, while emphasizing that the partnership with the Ministry was intended to mobilize young Nigerians to address current economic challenges facing the economy, especially high youth unemployment, food insecurity and household poverty.
He stated that NIYEEDEP exists to empower Nigerian youths in helping to address these outlined key economic problems by creating direct jobs in key sectors such as agriculture, agro-allied industries, sports, technology, and the creative and digital economy.
According to Comrade Iyere, the portal unveiling ceremony to drive recruitment into the innovative agricultural project will bring together diverse stakeholders, including government officials, industry leaders, NGOs, CSOs, FBOs, development partners, youth organizations,diaspora stakeholders, cooperative networks, security agencies and women groups.
The event would serve as a critical step in operationalizing NIYEEDEP and transforming youth from job seekers into entrepreneurs, as creators of their own jobs, thus generating wealth and alleviating poverty.
In response, the Minister expressed his appreciation to the delegation for coming to Nigeria to assist the government in solving the problem of unemployment faced by Nigerian youth, while commending the team for the excellent work so far.
He also reiterated the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu towards fulfilling his responsibilities to Nigerian youth, especially in areas of capacity building, youth empowerment, skills training, and job creation.
The Minister urged the delegation to take decisive actions to ensure that Nigerian youths can see and feel tangible results from the program ahead of its unveiling.
The portal, which will provide Nigerian youths with the opportunity to apply for agricultural grants and other financing and technical supports, is expected to be unveiled on January 17, 2025, in Abuja.
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