The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment has stressed the need to further deepen partnership with the African Development Bank (AFDB) on ongoing projects, aimed at generating youth employment.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, William Alo, stated this in Abuja on the occasion of the Review of Country Strategy Papers (2013 – 2019) and Launch of the Preparations for the New Country Strategy Paper (2020 – 2024) between the AFDB and the Ministry.
He called for more funding for the two projects in which the Ministry is in partnership with AFDB, and proposed the inclusion of some intervention projects in the 2020 – 2024 Strategy Paper.
Alo disclosed that the Ministry has been working in partnership with AFDB on two projects since 2018, one of which is the Public-Private Partnership for Youth Employment and Skills Development, aimed at implementing eight priority projects, across relevant sectors, to boost massive job creation and skills development among the teeming unemployed youths in the country.
The other project, according to him, is implementing the labour content of an Inclusive Basic Services Delivery and Livelihood Empowerment Integrated Programme (IBSDLEIP) for Livelihood Enhancement and Support for Internally Displaced Persons in the North East.
The aim of the IBSDLEIP is to document the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the productive age and provide technical support to the participating states with a view to building capacities on alternative means of livelihood as tools for self-reliance, rehabilitation and resettlement of the IDPs.
The Permanent Secretary reiterated Government’s efforts in generating youth employment through the skills acquisition centres scattered across the country, adding that Government has not been resting on its oars.
He disclosed that Government is in the process of including skills acquisition in the nation’s secondary schools curricular, as well as in the curriculum of the mandatory National Youth Service.
In her remarks the Director Special Duties/Projects, Dr Martina Nwordu, said the Ministry needed technical and financial support to enable it play the role of formulating policies, guidelines and model projects/prpgrammes on the reduction of unemployment in the country.
Responding, the Chief Development Economist/Migration Officer of the African Development Bank Group, Rosemond OFFEI-AWUKU, said the Group was in the Ministry to assess its performance in the previous years, and discuss its strategies.
She gave the assurance that the employment issues would be incorporated into the new Country Strategy Paper (CSP) 2020 – 2024.