The Edo Government says it has received an invitation from the Swiss Government and the International Labour Organisation(ILO) to share its success story on job creation.
Mr Crusoe Osagie, the Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy to Gov. Godwin Obaseki, said this in a statement on Sunday in Benin.
“With not less than 77,000 youths benefiting from the EdoJobs scheme in Edo State, Gov. Godwin Obaseki’s job creation initiatives are gaining international traction.
“The Swiss Government and the International Labour Organisation have called for insights into how the state government is engaging youths productively for economic growth.
“This was contained in a letter addressed to the Head, EdoJobs, Mrs Ukinebo Dare.
“She is scheduled to share the success story of the initiatives developed by the governor at an event tagged ‘Future of Work for African Youth’ and organised by the two bodies to hold in Geneva, Switzerland, on Feb. 7, 2019,” said Osagie.
Dare is also the Senior Special Assistant to the Edo Governor on Skills Development and Jobs Creation.
“Organisers of the international conference said she will deliver a lecture alongside the Chief Executive Officer of Youth Employment Service (YES) on “Large Scale job Creation in Nigeria and South Africa” with focus on harnessing the potential of African youth.
“This comes on the heels of the state government’s intensified efforts to create not less than 200,000 jobs by 2020.
“Youths in the state are undergoing diverse training and retraining to enable them create jobs, become employable and compete favourably with their peers across the globe,’’ he said.
Other speakers at the Future of Work for African Youth Conference will be drawn from the academia, private and public sectors across Africa.
Dare, on her part, said the event would present a unique opportunity to share the success story of Obaseki’s job creation initiatives which had benefitted no fewer than 77,000 youths in the state.
According to her, the state government will use the conference to make a statement on its commitment toward actualising its vision for job creation and skills development for youths.
She added that the forum would also avail her opportunity to share the state government’s premium on Technical and Vocational Education and Training as well as operations of various clusters for technology, agriculture and production.
The governor’s aide further said she would “share how the state is identifying opportunities for youths residing in rural areas and urban centres to gain entrepreneurial skills and leverage on partnerships to achieve results.” (NAN)