The Kogi State government through the Youth Employment and Social Support Operations (YESSO) Programme, has concluded skills acquisition training programme for 1,330 youths in the state.
The youths drawn from across the 21 local government areas of the state, were trained at the Korea International Vocational Training Institute (KOICA), Lokoja, under the YESSO’s “Skill for Jobs” (S4J) training programme which enjoys supports of the World Bank and the federal government.
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Speaking during the presentation of the start-up capital to the first batch of 45 selected beneficiaries in Lokoja, Governor Yahaya Bello said the initiative was part of his administration’s efforts aimed at reducing unemployment and making youths self-reliant through acquisitions of relevant skills.
Bello, who was represented by the Commissioner for Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Alhaji Asiwaju Idris Asiru, said his administration accorded priority to the wellbeing of youths, women and children.
He said the state government would provide start-up capital to the remaining beneficiaries subsequently, urging all the beneficiaries to make good use of the opportunity offered them to become employers of labour instead of being job seekers.
Earlier, the Project Coordinator of Kogi YESSO, Dr Noah Alilu, while presenting the implementation report of the project which has officially come to a close, noted that the programme had helped in reducing poverty, unemployment, and rural-urban migration while also enhancing consumption and deepening the rural economy in the state.
He said the launch of the Single Register (SR) of the poor and vulnerable in the state by Kogi YESSO, which was adjudged the best in the country, had greatly helped in the coordination of poverty alleviation and social intervention programmes by the government and other organisations such as the World Bank.
Meanwhile, he said the federal government in collaboration with the state government resolved to reduce poverty and vulnerability in the country through the Nigeria National Social Safety Programme (NASSP).
According to him, NASSP was approved in 2016 with the vision of lifting over 100 million people out of poverty, adding that it provides a platform for delivery of social assistance and contributing to human capital development in Nigeria.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Bose Achi, who was trained in fashion and design, thanked the Kogi State government, YESSO and their partners for the gestures.
