By Isaac Kertyo, Makurdi
The Federal Government has said the Innovation Development and Effectiveness in the Acquisition of Skills (IDEAS) projects would enhance the capacity of the Nigerian Youths in relevant skills.
National Coordinator of the projects, Mrs Blessings Ogwu who stated this on Wednesday at a workshop for North Central Officers of the projects in Makurdi, maintained that Two Hundred Million Dollars have been given to Nigeria for the period of 5 years to support federal and states technical colleges in the country.
Her words: ” IDEAS is a Word Bank Assisted Projects initiated by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Education with the objective of enhancing the capacity of the Nigerian Youths in relevant skills in formal and informal sectors in order to address unemployment in the country”.
She called the Benue State Government and other relevant stakeholders to key into the projects in order to equip the youths with the required skills.
Also speaking, Benue State, Governor Samuel Ortom, stressed that collaboration between the federal government and the World Bank to implement the IDEAS projects was sacrosanct, adding that it would bridge the gap between educational institutions’ products and industry demand for labor force.
The Governor who spoke through his Principal Special Assistant on Rural Development, Dr Azer Abya stated that the major challenge confronting the nation was high rate of unemployment, pointing out that Benue State Government is ready to partner any organization towards achieving technical and vocational training.
He assured that his administration is determined to impact the lives of the teeming youths through programs and innovations that would create jobs for them.
