Unemployment: Ministry to establish Youth Development Fund

The Federal Ministry of Youth Development has drafted a bill to provide for the establishment of a Youth Development Fund, to tackle the challenges of unemployment in the country. The Minister, Mr Boni Haruna made this known in an interview with newsmen on Tuesday in Yola.

“We have on ground a draft bill for the establishment of Youth Development Fund. This fund is meant to provide for our youths, to access it and develop their skills,” he said.

Haruna said youths with brilliant ideas would access the fund to set up businesses that would make them self-employed and employers of labour.

The minister assured that the ministry would continue to coordinate the activities of youth in the country, who constitute more than 60 per cent of the population, to enhance their contributions to nation building.

“If we can put in place programmes that would take our youths off the streets, we would be doing our nation proud, because all the security challenges we are having, the co-actors are essentially youths,” Haruna said.

On the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC), the minister said it would be reorganised to provide valuable skills training to corps members and open up sources of acquiring capital to make them self reliant.

Haruna reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to provide necessary policies and programmes to fast track youth empowerment and employment.

The minister urged other tiers of government to provide necessary basic education to their youths to empower them to become responsible and useful citizens. (NAN)