By Moses Patience Chat
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has completed the training of 500 youths in mobile telephony repairs, hardware, software, and entrepreneurship from Bayelsa State under the company’s Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP).
The close-out program which recently took place in Yenagoa, the capital city of Bayelsa State, is the fifth in the series, after similar programs in Kano, Kaduna, Cross River, and Yobe States, which had impacted over 3000 youths.
The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, while speaking at the event, noted that human capital development is a key area of focus for the Board and is geared towards creating employment, generating wealth and engaging the nation’s teeming youths.
He added that technology and skill acquisition in trades and agriculture have been identified as quick-to-market and high-impact economic sectors.
Wabote expressed hope that the trainees had acquired capacities and capabilities to troubleshoot issues, proffer solutions, assemble mobile phones, and develop software applications that are currently largely import dependent.
The Executive Secretary who was represented by Deputy Manager, Zonal Coordination, NCDMB, Mr. Joseph Adebayor, congratulated the participants for their dedication and advised them to become super business owners and to positively use their skills to make a living and serve their communities.
He assured that Board would continue to collaborate with the Bayelsa ICT hub to develop programs that would advance qualified members in software development, while also acknowledging the support received from the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in the delivery of the program.
The Executive Secretary further encouraged young Nigerians to register on the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Joint Qualification System (NOGICJQS) for human capacity-building interventions and employment opportunities in the oil and gas industry.
Representative of the Bayelsa State Government, Honorable Commissioner for Labour, Employment and Productivity, Hon. Stanley Braboke, appreciated NCDMB for the unending support to the people of Bayelsa State. He hinted that NCDMB had invested immensely in infrastructure and projects that will bring investments and create more employment opportunities for the state.
At the end of the event, the trainees were presented with starter packs that would enable them to start their own trade. In addition, the NCDMB rented shops for them for one year and registered them as members of cooperative societies.