Sunday Dare, minister of youth and sports, disclosed this while speaking at the inaugural edition of the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) youth summit.
Speaking on the topic ‘Strategic Roadmap for Youth Development post-COVID-19’, Dare said the programme was part of the ministry’s DEEL initiative – Digital skills acquisition, Entrepreneurship, Employability and Leadership — introduced in November 2019.
Dare said the programme, which will run for the next 12 months, has been captured under the economic sustainability plan of the federal government.
“The Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) has taken into cognizance the DEEL initiative, and I am glad to announce that we have gotten approval for the funding of a 12-month programme under the initiative that will see 500,000 of our youths upskilled in different digital skills,” he said.
At the summit which was held virtually, the minister also launched the Nigeria Business League for Youth, introduced by the NBC and endorsed by several corporate bodies.
The Nigeria Business League for Youth is a private sector initiative aimed at addressing challenges impeding opportunities for youth in the country to succeed in their chosen career paths.
Among chief executive officers (CEOs) of various companies who endorsed the initiative include Matthieu Seguin of the Nigerian Bottling Company Ltd; Jordi Borrut Bel of Nigerian Breweries; Oyeyimika Adeboye of Cadbury Nigeria Plc; Dipo Faulkner of IBM, and Danladi Verhijer of VEROD Capital Management.
In his remarks, Dare expressed optimism that the newly launched initiative would provide Nigerian youth with the needed insight and enabling environment to thrive in the post-COVID-19 era.
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