Governor Willie Obiano has inaugurated the Anambra State Youth Skills and Empowerment Scheme at the Technology Incubation Centre Nnewi, describing it as a fulfillment his promise to establish three vocational centres, one in each of the three Senatorial zones of the state.

Trainees at the Nnewi centre in Anambra South Senatorial Zone are expected to undergo three weeks training on ICT, soap making, spare parts fabrication and production of car wash liquid detergents amongst other products.

Governor Obiano said that this is the first batch of the programme which involves 500 youths selected from the 21 local government areas of the state, while the second batch of trainees will also involve youths from all the LGAs until the two other centres designated for Anambra Central and Anambra North zones come on stream.

According to Obiano, “the youths will on graduation be provided with seed money to establish small-scale businesses so as to become self-reliant.” He recalled that another batch of 500 youths are already being trained on automobile manufacturing at the Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company.

The governor also restated the administration’s efforts to boost power supply across the state, especially in the industrial clusters like Nnewi and used the opportunity to commission 300KVA transformer to support manufacturing concerns and industrial complexes like the Shopping Mall in the area.

He also awarded scholarship up to tertiary level to a pupil, Master Onyebuchi Osuma, for his great performance in singing the Anambra Anthem, assuring that the government would continue to encourage the youths to achieve their aspirations.

Providing insight into the State Government’s commitment towards ensuring the viability and sustainability of the Technology Incubation Centre, Commissioner for Science and Technology, Mr. Obi Nwankwo, said that the Centre is a collaboration between the state and the Federal Ministry of Science in the area of management and administration, payment of the admin staff, procurement of some of the equipment and infrastructure development, while Anambra built all the facilities and structures at the centre.

According the commissioner, apart from the youths getting the necessary skills that would make them self-reliant, the government sees the programme as a key component of its Economic Enablers because it will provide ready skilled work-force to support and service the state’s areas of needs in the governor Obiano’s Four-Pillars of Agriculture, Oil & Gas, Trade and Commerce and Industrialisation.

Mr. Nwankwo also disclosed that the 500 youths participating in this phase one programme were selected from a data base of over 5,000 who were registered in the state Ministry of Science and Technology to reflect a cross-section of the state and the applicant’s area of interest.

According to him, the youths will get some sustenance in the form of N5,000 for transportation per month and snacks every day during the period of training, not to mention the seed money for take-off after graduation. He noted that the benefits are enormous not just for the concerned youths but in terms of job creation, each person is expected to employ one to three apprentices afterwards thereby indirectly empowering many other youths.

In his appreciation, Deputy Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly, Hon. Prince Chukwudi Orizu, thanked the governor for empowering the youths by giving them requisite training and skills to attain their full potential in life. He assured that Nnewi people will give APGA total support in the coming elections.

In the same vein, the Centre Manger, Mrs. Uchenna Chukwu, expressed gratitude to the governor for the various development projects being carried out at the centre including landscaping, installation of power transformer, renovations and construction of an auditorium and incubatory blade complex, etc. She also urged the youths to take advantage of the opportunity as well as assured that the Centre will ensure the realisation of the vision of the state government.

•Photo shows Governor Willie Obiano greeting Master Onyebuchi Osuma, who was awarded a scholarship for singing the Anambra State Anthem at the Flag-off of the Anambra Youth Skills Acquisition/Empowerment Scheme . . . last Wednesday in Nnewi.