Governor Godwin Obaseki on Monday, inaugurated state-of-the-art Edojob centers in Uromi and Uzairue, signaling a resolute commitment to fostering youth development and equipping them for global competitiveness. Developed through collaboration with prominent partners such as the German Development Agency and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the centers aim to empower young individuals with essential skills to drive sustainable growth in Edo State.
During the event, Governor Obaseki honored over 30 youths who successfully completed a rigorous 10-day training program in photography and photo editing, emphasizing his government’s unwavering focus on job creation and skills enhancement. By nurturing a conducive ecosystem for businesses to flourish, the governor reiterated his dedication to supporting youth empowerment and fostering an environment conducive to economic prosperity and innovation.
Governor Obaseki underscored the pivotal role of job creation and skills development in his administration’s agenda, underscoring the transformative impact of investing in the youth for long-term societal advancement. With a steadfast commitment to expanding the private sector and fortifying the economy, the governor highlighted the significant contributions of EdoJobs in facilitating employment opportunities for thousands of beneficiaries across the state.
He declared, “My administration places a high priority on the creation of jobs and the development of skills. In 2016, while running for office, I made campaign stops around the state and pledged to create at least 200,000 jobs during my first term. I was aware that the state’s economy and the private sector would grow and create more jobs than the government would. Nearly 250,000 Edo State beneficiaries have benefited from EdoJobs’ support and employment services as of right now.
“In Edo State, we prioritize youth because we believe that the future is more important than the present. This is why, as a government, it’s a priority for us to invest in our young people.
“We will not stop working to ensure that the majority of our resources are directed toward retraining and strengthening our youth so they can contribute to the creation of a better society in the future. For this reason, basic education has accounted for the majority of our resources.
“We are restructuring our school system, teaching our kids to learn in life and transition from the certificate era to the one where they will be employable.”
“These centers will create opportunities for job seekers to have direct access for job placement, career guidance and counseling, and acquire employability skills through the programs run at the various job rural centers,” the statement reads, praising the support of partners in the development of work centers throughout the state.
“They are not only hubs for job openings and skill development, but they are also business hubs because we have business information desks that offer guidance to small businesses on how to expand by providing them with soft loans, especially micro and small business loans.”
He went on, “Today, the government of Edo State, working with the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Bank of Industry, is lending nearly N4 billion to small businesses.
“I make a plea to the CBN to allow us to reapply for small business loans to more businesses and even consider increasing the amount of such loans to enable us to give opportunity to young people starting their own businesses, instead of withdrawing credit for small businesses at this time.”
