President Muhammadu Buhari says his administration’s focus on job creation, consistency in policy and innovation, has stimulated a 5 per cent growth of the economy in the second quarter, 2021, which is the highest in six years.
He assured that Jubilee Fellows Programme will further consolidate on the success recorded.
President Buhari stated this at the launch of the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme at the Presidential Villa Abuja.
The President said, the jubilee programme will provide a pathway for young Nigerians to gain work experience in top tier organisations, gaining relevant skills and building the right networks for the future in various sectors including information and communications technology, financial services, trade, manufacturing, agriculture and agro-processing.
He said the programme will build on other efforts of the government to support young Nigerians such as the N75 billion youth fund in the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, which was created to support young Nigerians in business or with business ideas, with N25 billion released annually for three years.
According to him, the International Labour Organisation estimated the equivalent of an unprecedented 255 million jobs being lost around the world as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Buhari noted that the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme, being a fully paid post-NYSC work placement programme would provide an opportunity for mentors who were already engaged in various industries, gained relevant experience and built capacity over the years to provide mentorship and support for young Nigerians.
The President encouraged all eligible Nigerians to apply for the jubilee programme, while urging private sector organizations to join by providing work placement opportunities, mentors and funding.
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In his remarks, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo said the government remains appreciative of the role of private sector in transforming economies by creating employment and employment opportunities and investments.
He said start-ups, largely driven by young Nigerians, attracted 170 million dollars in the past year, which was the highest on the African continent, explaining that the Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme was to celebrate the nation’s 60th anniversary.
Adebayo noted the role of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in driving the initiative to fruition and support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The Resident Representative of UNDP, Mohammed Yahya assured that the UN will continually support Nigeria to move human potentials across the country to capacities and skills that will place the country on a better pedestal.
EU Deputy Head of Delegation, Alexandre Borges Gomes and UN Resident Coordinator, Edward Kallon, commended the initiative, saying the programme benefitted from wide consultations.
(Editor:Abaje Usekwe)
