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 was a fulfillment of 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 that was the first batch of the programme which involved five hundred youths selected from the twenty-one Local Government Areas of Anambra State, while the second batch of trainees would 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 were 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 was 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 saw the program as a key component of its Economic Enablers because it would 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 the 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 would 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 were enormous not just for the concerned youths but in terms of job creation, each person was 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 would 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 among others.
She also urged the youths to take advantage of the opportunity as well as assured that the Centre would ensure the realization of the vision of the state government.
