Anambra State
governor, Chief Willie Obiano has said that the inauguration of the State Youth
Skills and Empowerment Scheme at the Technology Incubation Centre Nnewi on
Wednesday is a fulfillment his promise to establish three vocational centres,
one in each of the three Senatorial zones of the state.
Trainees at the
Nnewi centre in Anambra South Senatorial zone are expected to undergo three
weeks training on ICT, Soap Making, Spare-parts fabrication and Production of
Car Wash liquid detergents amongst other products.
Governor Obiano
said that this is the first batch of the programme which involves five hundred
youths selected from the twenty-one Local Government Areas of Anambra State,
while the second batch of trainees will also involve youths from all the LGAs
until the two other centres designated for Anambra Central and Anambra North
zones come on stream.
According to
Obiano, “the youths will on graduation be provided with seed money to establish
small scale businesses so as to become self-reliant.”
He recalled that another
batch of five hundred youths are already being trained on automobile
manufacturing at the Innoson Vehicle manufacturing Company.
The governor also
restated the administration’s efforts to boost power supply across the state
especially in the industrial clusters like Nnewi and used the opportunity to
commission 300KVA transformer to support manufacturing concerns and industrial
complexes like the Shopping Mall in the area.
He also awarded
scholarship up to tertiary level to a pupil Master Onyebuchi Osuma for his
great performance in singing the Anambra Anthem, assuring that the government
would continue to encourage the youths to achieve their aspirations.
Providing insight
into the state government’s commitment towards ensuring the viability and
sustainability of the Technology Incubation Centre, the Hon Commissioner for
Science and Technology, Mr. Obi Nwankwo said that the Centre is a collaboration
between Anambra State and Federal Ministry of Science in the area of management
and administration, payment of the admin staff, procurement of some of the
equipment and infrastructure development, while Anambra built all the facilities
and structures at the centre.
According the
Commissioner, apart from the youths getting the necessary skills that would
make them self-reliant, the government sees the program as a key component of
its Economic Enablers because it will provide ready skilled work-force to
support and service the state’s areas of needs in the governor Obiano’s
Four-Pillars of Agriculture, Oil & Gas, Trade and Commerce and
Industrialization.
Mr. Nwankwo also
disclosed that the 500 youths participating in this phase one programme were
selected from a data base of over five thousand who were registered in the
state Ministry of Science and Technology to reflect a cross-section of the
state and the applicant’s area of interest.
According to him,
the youths will get some sustenance in the form of N5, 000 for transportation
per month and snacks every day during the period of training, not to mention
the seed money for take-off after graduation. He noted that the benefits are
enormous not just for the concerned youths but in terms of job creation, each
person is expected to employ one to three apprentices afterwards thereby
indirectly empowering many other youths.
In his
appreciation, Deputy Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon Prince
Chukwudi Orizu thanked the governor for empowering the youths by giving them
requisite training and skills to attain their full potential in life.
He
assured that Nnewi people will give APGA total support in the coming elections.
In the same vein,
the Centre Manger, Mrs. Uchenna Chukwu expressed gratitude to the governor for
the various development projects being carried out at the centre including
landscaping, installation of power transformer, renovations and construction of
an auditorium and incubatory blade complex etc.
She also urged the youths to
take advantage of the opportunity as well as assured that the Centre will
ensure the realization of the vision of the state government.
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