By Juliana Nwachukwu/Patricia Osegbue :
No fewer than 110 skill acquisition graduates were empowered by the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Onitsha South Local Government Area, Anambra State, Mr..Emeka Orji, with #200,000 and #500,000 each after graduating from their various skills’ training.
The benefitting youths who were trained for months, were empowered to commence their journey towards becoming self reliant and wealth creators.
Commending them for the completion of their training, Mr. Orji advised them to focus on the areas which they were trained, especially those of the apprenticeship who received higher sum, even as he stressed the need for judicious use of the money giving to them, stating that to whom much is given, much is expected.
“Small business is the engine room of the state economy and the state is willing to support those that did well by giving them more”.
“Empowering the youths is a critical aspect of sustainable economic development that requires the provision of resources such as funds and education to aid in the establishment of sustainable businesses.
Recall that last Friday the State Government empowered five thousand persons who graduated from the first batch of the “One youth, two skills” Solution Initiative with start-up grants to the tune of two billion naira to launch their businesses.
This is another commendable step in the right direction towards achieving this objective as entrepreneurship is a powerful tool for stimulating economic growth and it provides opportunities for job creation, wealth generation, innovation, and sustainable economic development.
However, starting up a new business requires resources, and access to funds is often a significant barrier faced by potential entrepreneurs and so, the decision by the Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration to help over five thousand youths in the state to acquire skills in different key areas and also empower them with grants as launch pads is not just timely but strategic.
The Governor’s initiative sheds light on the importance of providing financial support and training programme to entrepreneurs, particularly young entrepreneurs, to build and sustain their businesses.
The five thousand beneficiaries of the grant were chosen after a rigorous selection process, which involved a thorough assessment of the feasibility, and potential for growth of their proposed businesses and this process ensured that only those with viable, innovative, and sustainable business ideas were selected.
Juliana Nwachukwu and Patricia Osegbue are Staff members of the Ministry Of Information