The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has announced its intention to involve thousands of youths from the region in internship programs spanning different industries nationwide.
Fubara Blessing, the resource consultant for the NDDC-funded HOPE Project, revealed this during a meeting with youth groups in Port Harcourt on Wednesday, as reported to journalists.
He emphasized that these internships will provide youths with opportunities to sharpen their technical abilities and gain hands-on experience in various sectors, including oil and gas, hospitality, and medicine.
Additionally, 370 individuals in rural areas will receive support through the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs, programme, while 185 in urban centres will be assisted under the Small and Medium Enterprises, SMEs, category.
“The Commission aims to utilise the Hope Project to change the negative local and international perception that the region’s youth are inclined toward militancy.
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“Thus, a new tech programme, Mili-tech, is set to be inaugurated, signifying a transition from militancy to technology,” he said.
Blessing said that an ICT hub centre owned by the Rivers government had been secured to kick-off the tech programme as part of the initiative to transform the Niger Delta into a technological hub.
He also said that participants of the programme would be selected from the recently introduced Niger Delta Youth Resource Database by the NDDC.