Minister Harps On Youth Entrepreneurship

The Minister of Youth Development, Alhaji Inuwa Abdul-Kadir, has identified youth entrepreneurship as a tools to fight poverty and unemployment in the country.

Abdul-Kadir made this known during the closing of one week reorientation/refresher programme for youth entrepreneurs in agro-business, held at National Youth Development Centre, Ode-Omu in Osun State  last  Friday.

Represented by Mrs Abiodun Anibaba, a Deputy Director in the ministry, Abdul-Kadir said that youth entrepreneurship was useful to fight poverty, hunger and unemployment.

According to him, youth entrepreneurship would go a long way to bring about a positive change in young peoples’ lives.

He observed that lack of adequate entrepreneurial skills by the youths despite their tertiary education accounted for youth unemployment.

“This constitutes a major factor militating against the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

“Our strategy is to fill this gap by equipping young Nigerians for productive and gainful employment in vocational skills and capacity building,’’ Abdul-kadir added.

He further said that the exercise was part of the 2012 MDGs/the Debt Relief Gains (DRGs) programme on youth agriculture.

The minister advised the participants to utilise the knowledge gained and the financial assistance attached for the expansion of their businesses as well as enhance their capacity to employ their peers.

Our Correspondent reports that 80 youth entrepreneurs in agro-business from FCT, Kogi, Nassarawa, Osun, Ogun, Ondo, Lagos and Ekiti participated in the one week programme

Some of the participants, Hassan Muharazu from Nassarawa and Otigba Isah from Kogi, lauded the Federal Government for the programme and promised to make use of the knowledge gained.