The Commissioner for Youth Development in Anambra State, Hon. Patrick Aghadinuno Mba says it is the action plan of the Ministry of Youth Development to deliver the policies and programmes of Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo as it concerns youth empowerment.

Mba also said to realise a holistic youth empowerment programmes, Governor Soludo plans to set up over 300 cooperative societies youths can leverage on to become well groomed entrepreneurs and business owners where they have comparative advantage.

Disclosing this in Awka, the commissioner explained that the Ministry of Youth Development has apprenticeship programmes, talent hunts as well as entrepreneurship cum mentorship programmes where youths can acquire cognate skills and the know-how for economic development.

He stated that the present administration in the state aims at sustainable empowerments for youths designed to take them off the streets and launch them into limelight as wealth creators and employment providers.

He said the cooperative societies when established, would help youths harness the advantages of doing businesses together where they have comparative advantage through what he mentioned as value chain while also creating data for skills in terms of job opportunities.

Mba noted that about 350 cooperative societies would be created in the state to enable the cooperators access soft loans from the Anambra State Small Business Agency (ASSBA) as seed money to grow and expand their businesses. That the Ministry has sourced for master trainers and successful entrepreneurs who have survived the test of time in their respective endeavours to come and mentor youths through apprenticeships and development of business plans.

He stated that the Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo led state government has a total package of practical apprenticeship programmes for youths in Anambra state, adding that the target was to take 10,000 youths off the streets annually.

According to him, over 5000 youths would be covered in the first phase of the apprenticeship training and skill acquisition programmes.

The Commissioner further disclosed that the communities would be involved in the youth development programmes of the state government through what he described as Close-The-Gap Initiative where he stated that stakeholders would be allowed to nominate candidates for the empowerment programmes in their respective communities.

He said that the community-based approach to youth empowerment was the only veritable means to create opportunities for young people to harness their potentials and natural proclivities, adding that Governor Soludo was passionate about youth empowerment. (DAILY INDEPENDENT)