G20 to partner with Oyo Govt. on job creation

 NAN-H-106
Employment

By Akeem Abas
Ibadan, Feb. 15, 2017 (NAN) A multinational youth entrepreneurship group, G20 Youths Entrepreneur Alliance (YEA), has pledged to work with Oyo State Government in the creation of employment opportunities for the teeming youths in the state.

Mr Jean-Louis Gregoire, the Director-General, Citizens Enterprises, made this known when he visited Gov. Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State on Wednesday.

He said the group was in the state to foster sustainable ways that could help in setting up youth empowerment schemes to reduce poverty among the young ones.

“Our objective is to look into how to set up the mechanism that will provide mass employment opportunities through entrepreneurial-driven schemes.

“We will be taking from the pool of young undergraduates in the universities to benefit from the scheme.

“They will be empowered through entrepreneurial education, easy access to start up funds for small scale businesses,” he said.

Gregoire said the empowerment scheme would be a ‘top-down microeconomic scheme, which would cater for 85 per cent job creation in the first quarter of commencement year.

He said the progamme would focused on female because they play prominent roles in family and nation building.

According to him, this top-down microeconomic scheme will lead to the creation of 85 per cent jobs in the first quarter of the starting year.

“Our major focus will be the female-youths that will give multiplier effects to the society.

“We so much appreciate the gesture of Oyo State Government in bringing forth so many programmes to help the youths overcome poverty and be self-sustaining.”

In his remark, Ajimobi said his administration had done much to alleviate the sufferings occasioned by unemployment in the state.

Ajimobi said some youths across the state have been trained and provided with start up kits.

He said the state agricultural empowerment scheme ‘Agric-Oyo’ was set up for economic diversification with the youths as major beneficiaries.

“Oyo State is strategically positioned to gain from Youths Entrepreneur Alliance as we have the population that can benefit from the scheme.

“In terms of economic diversification, Oyo State will reap so much gain as it has the largest landmass targeted at large scale agriculture.

“We are not in want of programmes and at the same time, we are in need of more. We want to encourage and teach our youths how to fish rather than give them fish,” he said.

Ajimobi pledged the support of the state government for the programme, adding that it would benefit the youths and the society at large.

Members of the team are Jack Summer, UK leader G20 YEA; Witney Hollis, Logistics Coordinator; Mr Adeyemi Sowande, Summit (AES), Convener, African Entrepreneurship; Mr Tolu Aderemi, Managing Partner, Perchstone & Graeys/Co-Convener AES, and Dr Nneka Ebru Co-Convener AES, among others. (NAN)

TAA/CEO/OFN
Edited by Chidi Opara//Felix Nwadioha