To meet its goal of having a technical college in each of the state’s eighteen local government areas, the Edo State Government is collaborating with the governments of Germany and Switzerland.
On Monday, September 26, 2022, at the opening of five new Edo Jobs Centers throughout the State, Governor Mr. Godwin Obaseki made this revelation. It was time to advance the partnership with both countries and other organizations, according to Obaseki, who was speaking to reporters following a tour of the Edo Innovates Hub in Benin City. He expressed satisfaction with the impact that EdoJobs had made.
“As you can see, we are elevating EdoJobs to a new level. We established an innovation hub here four years ago, and since then, we have assisted young people in developing their skills, taught them about entrepreneurship, and assisted them in finding employment.
“We are bringing these services to Edo’s rural areas today. We physically launched one of them today in Uromi, but we also have ones in Auchi, Jattu, Usen, and two more in Edo South.
“We came here this evening to commission some of these centers and to demonstrate to our partners what we have done with their support.
Weert Borner, the German Consul General, and his spouse praised the achievements of their four years of collaboration with the Edo State Government via EdoJobs.
“This skill-training and employment project for Edo State has been supported by the German Government since 2018, and it will be sustained for the next few years.”
“As part of your youth’s future here, we are currently concentrating on vocational training, where they can acquire skills and apply those skills in new jobs.
“We are delighted to be able to help you out financially as well as with lots of guidance and tech support.
“We visited Uromi in the countryside, and it was truly astounding to see how much is already being done there with interview and skill development—not just to get better jobs, but to be able to contribute to the labor market.
Recall that the German Federation, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Skills Development for Youth Development, German Cooperation, and the Edo State Government have been working assiduously to make Edo State a hub producing quality talent with in-demand skills, and seamlessly connecting them to outstanding job opportunities.
Edojobs was designed to be the means by which Mr. Obaseki would accomplish his objective of creating 200,000 jobs during his first term, and he has since succeeded in doing so.
Governor Obaseki explained the nature of the partnership with the foreign countries and organizations, saying, “We operate by always funding all of our projects with counterpart funds. We do not rely on our partners alone, and as a result of our accomplishments with the funding, we are moving on to the next phase, where they will help us reach your goal of having 18 technical colleges in Edo State.
“And just like this place, they will offer practical technical assistance to ensure that by the time these kids graduate from these technical schools, they will have acquired skills and vocational training in addition to certificates.” Obaseki came to a conclusion.
Earlier, at the opening of the EdoJobs Center in Uromi, Obaseki was joined by top government officials, traditional leaders, EdoJobs beneficiaries, Borner and his wife, Tobais Wolfgarten of GIZ, and Manuel Muhlebach from the Swiss Embassy.
