The Federal Government, through its National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS), has began the training of 150 youths from Enugu State on Artificial Intelligence (AI), solar installation and fashion design.
The programme is designed to tackle unemployment and poverty by equipping beneficiaries with practical skills and starter packs to enable them to become self-reliant.
It is being powered by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
The two-week intensive training, which commenced on Wednesday, is holding at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) Business School, Enugu.
Addressing participants, Dr Abiola Arogundade, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, added that the initiative formed part of the Federal Government’s efforts to lift five million Nigerians out of poverty.
Arogundade described South-East as an important part of the programme, noting that the choice of Enugu for the training demonstrated the government’s commitment to empowering youths across the country.
“Our expectation is that the beneficiaries will attend the training every day, learn as much as possible and gradually begin to lift themselves out of poverty,” she said.
On sustainability, Arogundade said that the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning had established a monitoring and evaluation mechanism to track the progress of beneficiaries.
She said the ministry would conduct assessments after six months and one year to determine how participants were utilising the acquired skills and equipment.
Also speaking, Mr Felix Okonkwo, the Director of Macroeconomic Analysis Department, in the Budget and Economic Planning, said the initiative was part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to lift Nigerians out of poverty.
Okonkwo said the government recognised the high level of multidimensional poverty in the country and was determined to address it through sustainable skills acquisition and economic empowerment.
The director explained that the initiative was designed to create multiple streams of income for beneficiaries while encouraging them to transfer the acquired skills to others.
He said the government was shifting emphasis from temporary financial assistance to sustainable economic empowerment through vocational skills and entrepreneurship.
“Instead of giving people N5,000, N8,000 or N10,000 as cash transfers, we believe that equipping them with skills and supporting small-scale businesses will provide a more sustainable means of reducing poverty.
“The beneficiaries undergoing fashion designing will receive electric sewing machines, those learning artificial intelligence will get laptops, while participants in solar installation will receive complete solar installation toolkits.
“With these starter packs, they can establish their businesses, earn income and become economically independent,” Okonkwo said.
He explained that the programme had already been implemented in the South-West and North-Central geopolitical zones, adding that the government would extend it to other parts of the country.
He disclosed that another phase of the programme would be organised in the South-East before the government commenced state-level training across the federation.
Okonkwo explained that the 150 beneficiaries were selected through an open application process advertised on social media and radio stations.
He urged youths who were not selected for the current exercise to remain patient, assuring them that subsequent phases would accommodate more beneficiaries.
In his remarks, the Enugu State Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr Chris-Roberts Ozongwu, commended President Tinubu for the initiative, describing it as a significant intervention in youth empowerment and poverty reduction.
Ozongwu said the programme complemented the efforts of Gov. Peter Mbah’s administration in promoting entrepreneurship, skills acquisition and economic development.
He noted that the state government had continued to support small and medium enterprises through various empowerment initiatives.
A beneficiary, Anthony Edeh, who is undergoing solar installation training, expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for the opportunity.
He described solar technology as a fast-growing sector with enormous employment and business opportunities.
“I believe the benefits I will gain from this training will be beyond my expectations.
I thank President Bola Tinubu for this wonderful initiative to empower youths through solar installation training," he said.