CBN, C’River Partner On Enterprise Dev Centre

Arrangement have been concluded by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Cross River State Government  to commission a N500 million ultra modern Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) operational facility to help youths acquire skills in a entrepreneurship within the South-South geo-political zone.

The Special Adviser on Investment Promotion to Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State, Mr. Gerald Adah disclosed this while  inspecting the project in Calabar.

Adah stated that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)  had to establish an Enterprise Development Centre in the state so as to reduce the spate of unemployment troubling the zone.

According to him, the building which was originally called DESAM House was bought by the Cross River State government for N500million, adding that when the project kicks off, youth will be undergoing training of verious kinds in order to make themselves self reliant and not to over depend on government for employ.

“The youths will be adequately sensitized to key into this programme, this will help them to be self employed and reduce the search for white collar jobs. The earlier we tackle unemployment, the better for the country economy, because if the youths have jobs, it will reduce the rate of crime in the society,” he said.

The Special Adviser said that the enterprise centre was cited in Cross River to serve the South-South geopolitical zones in enterprise development.

The enterprise programme director, South-South, Mr. Gbenga Owolabi, said that the project will be commissioned on September 2nd in the presence of the South-South governors and the governor of the Central Bank.

“From the day of the inauguration, we will be having the digital training of the internet facilities, and also help the participant to access finance to boast their businesses,” he said.

Owolabi said that the youths will be trained in 18 months to acquire various skills, adding that the registration fee for the training was N5,000.

“After 18 months of skills acquisition by participant from the Microfinance and Enterprise Development Agency MEDA, the agency would help trade association to be at the top of their businesses,” he said.

He however, said that MEDA also intends to set up an outreach zone in Bayelsa, adding that a 100KVA capacity generator has been installed to tackle the problem of power outrage.

The centre he said would provide skills on Small and Medium Enterprise SME, digital computer training, hair dressing, and barbing saloon among others.