No fewer than 200 youths from Ondo state have been trained by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), on ICT skills and digital innovations for e-exporting and trade.
This was disclosed by the State Coordinator, NEPC Ondo State, Mrs Iyabode Abe, who identified youth empowerment as catalyst for development saying youth empowerment was beamed on youth for active involvement in the economic diversification drive.
Abe disclosed that the programme was packaged towards creating awareness on youth empowerment through non-oil export activities.
She said; “The programme will also help to build the capacity of youth entrepreneurs on the rudiments of exports and to expose them to the various exportable products and services which they can do digitally.
“The NEPC through its Akure office, in line with the double your export mantra of the council under the leadership of Mrs Nnoye Ayeni is not relenting in her efforts at enhancing the capacity of relevant stakeholders in the non-oil export of Ondo State through various initiatives including capacity building programmes organized towards improving the stakeholders knowledge in global trade requirements such as export procedures and documentation, export training for women in oil palm to acces loan from bank of agriculture to mention a few”.
While declaring the training open, the Permanent Secretary, Ondo State Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Cooperative Services, Toyin Oni, described the programme as a step in the right direction, “in complimenting the efforts of the state government in training young people to become self-reliant and employers of labour, thereby taking the youths off the streets.”
According to her, “our purpose here is to enlighten our people in the society, especially the youths so that they will get engaged.”
Oni, who was represented by the Director of Commerce of the ministry, Temitope Ikuyinminu said; “the state government has tried a lot to help our youths by embarking on many programmes that will have an impact on them.
“Ondo state government under the leadership of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa is committed to uplift the state to a global heights with the collaboration of the federal government and other agencies.”
The State Chairman, Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME),
Temitope Adeyemi, who also spoke during the workshop said the programme came at appropriate time to sensitize the youths on various platforms benefits, the Internet.
Adeyemi said; “these youths need to be encouraged and sensitised on the digital skills that they can utilize to export their goods all over the world and this is a very good package for our youths.
“If our government can take up the programme and have it on a periodic period, it would help many of our youths and this programme should be a continuous thing.”
The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Youth Empowerment and Job Creation, Orioye Gbayisemore, said there was need for capacity building among the youths in order to create job opportunities and empower the youths of the state.
“What NEPC Ondo State office is doing, is a testament to the fact that President Bola Tinubu is actually ready to uplift millions of Nigerian youths and to take them out of poverty and to create a lot of jobs for them.
“One of the things the Ondo State Government is doing is to collaborate and to work with the sisters agencies towards engaging our youths positively,” he said.
One of the participants, Ojo-Bright Eniafe,
who spoke while speaking during the workshop, commended the NEPC for bringing in the programme to transform the lives of youths in Ondo state.
“My advise to my co-participants is that we should take what we have learnt seriously, put it to use so that we can end this era of unemployment and poverty in our dear country,” he added.
The one-day training for youth entrepreneurs on the use of digital marketing in export trade, with the theme; “Non-oil export as a catalyst for youth empowerment and job creation,” was organised by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Ondo State Coordinating Office. While the participants youths were drawn from all sectors in the state for the workshop.
