The Youth Empowerment and Social Support Operations (YESSO 2.0) is ready to collaborate with the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to lift thousands of vulnerable youths out of poverty in Nigeria.
Comrade Richard Romanus, the National Programme Manager of YESSO 2.0, announced this during a visit to the NDE National office in Abuja.
The purpose of the visit was to seek support and collaboration from stakeholders to achieve the goals of the YESSO 2.0 program.
Comrade Romanus emphasized that his team is prepared to work with the NDE to improve employment opportunities for Nigerian youths, in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to Romanus, it is possible to remove more Nigerian youths from poverty with the help of the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. We recognize that NDE played a significant role in the success of YESSO 1.0, so we are seeking their support again to make YESSO 2.0 even more successful. We have several programs planned that will empower the youth and help them maximize their entrepreneurial potential.
The National Programme Manager pointed out that many young people are unemployed not because there are no job opportunities, but because they lack the necessary skills that would make them employable.
YESSO focuses on providing job skills training. We will partner with NDE to train thousands of young people in marketable skills that will enable them to become self-employed, self-reliant, and potentially access start-up funds.
The Director General of NDE, represented by Mr. Issah Abdu, Director of Vocational Skills Development, expressed their willingness to collaborate with any group or organization to help unemployed youth escape poverty.
The Director General also congratulated the new YESSO National manager and his team on their appointment, emphasizing that youth empowerment should be led by young people themselves.
He revealed that the NDE has collaborated with the World Bank to implement the YESSO 1.0 Programme. He assured that the NDE will also partner with different programs of YESSO 2.0 to ensure its success.
By empowering the youth and actively engaging them, we can reduce social tension and insecurity in the country.
Additionally, he mentioned that the NDE has 96 vocational skills acquisition centers across the country, including agricultural centers and mobile training workshop booths in rural areas.
The meeting included a technical session and discussions on potential areas of partnership.