UYO plans to train 5000 Akwa- Ibom youth under ‘Skill-Up Nigeria Project’

Nigeria : UYO , a Non-Governmental Organization under the aegis of Skill-Up Nigeria Project has said that arrangements have been put in place to train and empower no fewer than 5,000 Akwa- Ibom men, women and youths in different skills. The group said it was partnering the “Ibom Skills Development Initiative,” a state government enterprise that specialized in training and producing standard skilled persons to select its first batch of 5,000 beneficiaries for the cluster industries being established in all 31 local government areas of the state. •Cross section of beneficiaries at an interaction. •Cross section of beneficiaries at an interaction.

International franchise The project Consultant Mr. Tunde Lawrence, who told that N500million, has been planned for the empowerment project, which would be officially flagged off next week.

Lawrence added, “Skill-up Nigeria project is an international franchise. It is a pure private sector -driven programme, but we are glad that the governor of Akwa Ibom state saw what we are and said come and partner us in our industrialization agenda.

“We are setting up the companies in the local government areas in a cluster pattern. So from the 5000 trainees, we have from our partners, the Ibom Skills Development Initiative, we are going to divide them into 10-10 groups (clusters) so that they manage the different companies we will site in the different local government areas.

“The Ibom Skills Development Initiative produces the skilled trainees, while we absorb them. It is a grassroots project and it is not going to be business as usual where you see an individual given empowerment fund of N5millon, N10million and so on and after receiving that money, the person remembers that he needed to change his wife and goes ahead to marry another wife.

“Or another person will remember that he did not bury his father well, he will now want to do an expensive remembrance for his father who had died 20 years ago and before you know it, the money is gone and cannot be accounted for. But this is a team work and that is why we want it in clusters,.”

How China, Japan took off Executive Director of Skill up Nigeria, Mr. Victor William, said the decision to use skilled labour in the empowerment programme could not be over emphasized, as it would ensure that the project succeeds. He emphasized that skilled labour was a key factor that drives industrialization.

“So we are setting up skills development centres in all the local government areas of Akwa Ibom State. Each centre will be known for specific activity. This will be determined by the available raw material in the local government area.

“If there is oil palm, raffia and so on in an area, we want them (beneficiaries) to apply their skills in such a way that they will begin to produce that product in a large quantity so that it will be sold to serve for both local consumption and for export.,”he said.

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