By Our Correspondent
No fewer than 8,300 youths across Anambra State have graduated from the second batch of the state government’s One Youth, Two Skills Plus programme, receiving a total of N3.5 billion in empowerment grants.
The initiative, launched in October 2022, is designed to equip young people with practical skills in agriculture, ICT, fashion, crafts, services, catering, and other sectors.
It forms part of Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s manifesto pledge to raise 1,000 youth millionaires annually.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony held at the International Convention Centre, Awka, on Tuesday, Soludo described the programme as “stomach infrastructure on a sustainable basis,” stressing that it is revolutionising youth empowerment in Nigeria by focusing on productive, innovative, and export-driven ventures.
He revealed that the programme attracted over 183,000 applications and disclosed that additional billions of naira have also been set aside through the Anambra Small Business Agency to provide loans to interested beneficiaries.
“Today, I celebrate the graduation of 8,300 young men and women from the second batch of our One Youth, Two Skills Plus programme.
“We have disbursed N3.5 billion in grants to support their business dreams. Our goal is to make Anambra the skills hub of Sub-Saharan Africa,”
“To our graduands, I say: start start now, think big! You have been equipped with skills, funding, and mentorship. Now it’s your turn to shine. I look forward to the impact you will make in our state and beyond. Congratulations. May Anambra continue to win!”
The Commissioner for Youth Development, Patrick Aghamba, praised the initiative for growing “from strength to strength” and transforming the lives of thousands of youths.
Similarly, the Chairman of the Entrepreneurship Scheme, Prof. Chinedu Onyeizugbe, noted that the second batch recorded a 48 per cent increase in participation compared to the inaugural set. He described the scheme as a model worthy of adoption by scholars and practitioners, emphasizing that each graduation brings the state closer to the vision of equipping every Anambra youth with sustainable livelihood skills.
Some beneficiaries testified that the programme has enabled them to become employers of labour.
It will be recalled that the first cohort in 2023 empowered 5,000 youths with N2 billion in start-up support, with more than 1,000 of them already running thriving businesses.
