The Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has flagged off the Rural Youths Skills Acquisition Programme (RYSA) in the State.
This program, is aimed at empowering eight hundred and ten (810) youths across all the local government areas of the state especially those in the rural areas and make them more economically self-reliant.
Flagging off the Programme in Asaba , the Governor said government’s thrust for job creation had been entrepreneurship development programmes anchored on skills training, engaging youths in productive enterprises, nurturing entrepreneurs, leaders and promoting communal peace and security.
While declaring unemployment as a national emergency, Okowa urged the Federal Government and stakeholders to provide skills and empowerment opportunities for youths as a solution.
The governor noted that no nation could prosper without building the youths, saying “if you don’t build them today they cannot lead tomorrow.
“This has been the overarching goal of our Job and Wealth Creation Scheme, under which we created the flagship Skills Training and Entrepreneurship programme (STEP) and Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP).
“Recently, we added the Girls Entrepreneurship and Skills Training (GEST) programme.
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“Subsequent to the events of the past few weeks, the need for this approach is more compelling now than it was five years ago when we introduced the schemes.
“It is my firm belief that productively engaging our youths and giving them hope for a better future should, as a matter of national emergency, be top priority in all our public policies.
“This administration has always worked from the premise that the way out of the present unemployment quagmire and attendant poverty is for us to equip the youth with the technical know-how, vocational skills, values and resources to become self-employed or employable.’’
He urged the beneficiaries of the programme to demonstrate willingness to learn and imbibe the virtues of diligence and honesty, saying that it would help them to realise their dreams.
Okowa said that RYSA was targeted specifically at the young men and women in rural areas.
“In our selection process, we have applied the principle of geographical spread by ensuring that three youths were selected from each electoral ward, making a total of 810.
“We have also ensured that in line with the underlying philosophy of RYSA, only unemployed youths with basic knowledge in their chosen areas of skill are chosen for training. Going forward, we are mobilizing funds to ensure we scale up the number of participants,” he said.
” Moving forward, we will continue to monitor the trainees as they go through this program to ensure that once this is over, we are able to send a new batch of young and innovative entrepreneurs into various communities across Delta State.”
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He appealed to the beneficiaries to reciprocate the government’s commitment to their progress and welfare through focus and diligence.
The Commissioner for Youths Development, Comrade Ifeanyi Egwunyenga, in his welcome remarks, said RYSA was established in line with the Stronger Delta mantra of growing the local economy through entrepreneurship development.
He stated that the programme was designed to imbue the youths in rural communities with the necessary life and business skills to become self-employed and self-sufficient and be able to contribute meaningfully to the growth of the local economy.
In a goodwill message, Chief Economic Adviser to the Governor, Dr. Kingsley Emu, lauded the state government for the significant organic growth in the state’s economy and in human capital development.
He stated that what EndSARS stood for, Governor Okowa saw it long ago and was prompted by it to establish youth empowerment programmes when he assumed office in 2015.
