Not less than 10, 000 Delta youths between the ages of 18 and 35 will benefit from the entrepreneurial development programme put together by MasterCard Foundation in partnership with Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan Atlantic University.
According to MasterCard, the programme is aimed at creating a network of entrepreneurial and managerial change-makers among the aforementioned age brackets across micro, small and medium enterprises with special focus on agriculture and the creative sector.
With the programme tagged “Transforming Nigeria Youths”, it is also aimed at transforming the mindset of Nigeria youths and equipping them to be self-employed and employable.
It is also aimed at developing the managerial capability, facilitate market access and provide support services to MSMEs being run by young persons in such a way as to enable them to create jobs.
It is also to engage relevant stakeholders through advocacy to enhance opportunity for job creation for youths and to re-orientate Nigerian youths to see MSME jobs as dignifying.
Speaking during the launch of the programme in Delta Government House, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa said skills for youths are inevitable for breakthrough in the competitive Nigerian market.
Represented by his Senior Economic Adviser, Dr. Kingsley Emu, the governor said “our civil service cannot accommodate all our youths, hence the need to redirect the minds of our youths away from looking for non-existing jobs in the civil service.”
He said the state government has various skills programme for youths which the government has subsidized for willing youths. He said what MasterCard is planning to do is about 10 percent of what the state government has done and is still doing for youths.
Ifeanyi Egwunyenga, the Delta state commissioner for youths, also said the governor has done well in youth employment. He said the governor has taken time to reach to Delta youth for employment creation.
He identified various areas where youths have been empowered by the governor. He said more than 7000 youths have been empowered by the government in the job creation bureau.
He said Delta state youths are very innovative and creative, saying the state government is embracing the programme as it will help to grow the state economy.
In her welcome address, the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MSME), Orode Uduaghan said ‘The Transforming Nigerian Youth Programme’ was brought to the state by MasterCard Foundation in partnership with the Enterprise Development Centre of Pan Atlantic University.
She urged youths in the state to leverage on the opportunities provided by the programme to enhance their socio-economic status in the society, just as she lauded Governor Okowa for his youth friendly policies and programmes.
Uduaghan said in the next 12 months, her office will be going round Delta state to enlighten youths on the need to key into the programme. She noted that the programme is free and there are mouth watering incentives.
The Okowa’s aide said to achieve the programme objectives, there’s a free entrepreneurship training that is delivered through the EDC online channel, The Learning Management System (LMS) and the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) platforms that enable the registered youths to receive lessons at their convenience.
She said the IVR provides a short code which the learner can dial to access the management courses on their smart phones or non-smartphone, all for free.
She added that the LMS is also whitelisted so once the learners register and are onboarded, they have access to login to their dashboard and start learning.
She said the programme is to help youths know how to manage a business, expand the mindset of youths and create opportunities for them to run sustainable business that will last a lifetime and bring growth and development to the state.
Dr. Oluwole Anifowose, Director of Programmes and Partnership at Enterprise Development Centre EDC, Pan Atlantic University, said the EDC has received 118,000 applications across the country but it is aimed at achieving 200,000 youths.
He said MasterCard in partnership with EDC is planning to create 30m jobs in Africa, just as he noted that the programme allows youths to learn at their own convenience.
He said there are different languages in the app with 70 percent women being targeted. He said funding will be provided at one digit loan after completion of the programme just as he said Sterling and Access Banks are working with the programme to help facilitate accesss to loans.
He said resources will be provided for the youths after building their capacity so as to enable them take their innovations and skills to the market place.
According to him, the app has data already developed which will enable users not to spend their data as soon as they log in.
He said “immediately you log into the platform and begin to learn, you no longer use your data. The platform has data that is already programmed into the app. Videos are there but it will not consume your data. You dont have to worry yourself, it’s 100 percent free.”
He gave the platform address as https://reg.smetoolkit.ng/betransformed?refer=delta
