Soludo inaugurates youth initiative to boost human capital development

Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has launched the second batch of the “One Youth, Two Skills” initiative.

Soludo inaugurated the programme at the International Convention Centre, Awka, the state capital, on Thursday.

Speaking at the event, which saw the participation of about 8,620 qualified individuals for the second batch, the governor described youth as the bridge to the future, emphasising that this is why his administration prioritises human capital development.

He said, “Today, we are beginning phase two of that significant journey to ensure that our youth are empowered on a sustainable basis, teaching them how to fish and eliminating hunger.

“Phase one of the programme trained 5,000 youths through a unique system of ‘igba boi,’ mentorship, and more. Many of them have been empowered and several are now employers of labour.

“In this second batch, we received 183,000 applications, and over 8,000 people were selected due to limited available spaces.

“As we launch this phase, I thank Anambra youth for being responsible citizens. Thank you for deciding not to protest—not because you don’t feel the pain of the moment, but because of our age-old value system.

“Anambra people celebrate nothing but hard work. I thank our youth for deciding to take their destinies into their own hands.

“Protesting has its place, but it’s even better to take action. For decades, we’ve been singing songs of lamentation, but now, we are doing something to ensure our youth are useful to society.

“This is a unique training programme. Many artisan skills are now in short supply. Looking at your faces today, I see the future millionaires and the youth who will take Anambra and Nigeria to the world.”

He outlined five systematic pillars of the programme: an apprenticeship scheme, entrepreneurial skills training, the formation of cooperatives, a business financing scheme, and a mentorship scheme. He noted that a ₦2 billion grant was disbursed to those who qualified in the last batch.

He added that another ₦2.5 billion start-up capital had been set aside for beneficiaries willing to access it through the Anambra Small Business Agency.

“This is becoming an organic movement. We expect that in every kindred, there will be one person benefitting from the scheme, so that it permeates the whole of Anambra.

“We are recommending this Anambra model to the world. We are upgrading and digitising the system to ensure that former applicants do not reapply and participate.

“The number of applications shows that Anambra youth are eager to take their destinies into their own hands. We will continue to provide the enabling environment. I implore you to take this very seriously.

“This is not a programme for the government to distribute free money, but for those who are ready to make a decent living. It will benefit only qualified trainees. Make the most of it,” he added.

According to the governor, community development has helped Anambra to scale up very quickly, noting that Anambra people believe in collaborative development as well as the “leave no one behind” mantra.

“I encourage friends of Anambra to join us. Public-Private-Community Partnership is the fastest way to scale up the development of Anambra.

“We are determined to deliver good value, but we need partners. To developmental partners who have funds, this is an opportunity,” he added.

The Commissioner for Youth Development, Patrick Aghamba, praised the governor for his support of the initiative, which he described as a model worthy of emulation.

Aghamba said, “This is a historic event. 8,620 youths have qualified in various skills across the local government areas of the state. Mr Governor, you have developed a model worthy of emulation that will live beyond you, with an emphasis on ‘quality.’

“You are determined to give the youth the best and nothing but the best. You believe in the youth, and you are changing the narrative, with a target of raising 1,000 youth millionaires annually.

“We appreciate your interest in quality assurance. The ministry is determined to ensure that your model becomes the benchmark.”

The Commissioner assured that the lessons learned during the first phase will be used to improve and modify the second phase, expressing optimism that the achievement rate will be scaled up to 95 per cent.

He commended the beneficiaries for enduring the rigorous process.