NDE launches orientation program for 1,680 youth in Taraba under Renewed Hope Initiative

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has officially launched an orientation program for 1,680 youth in Taraba State under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Empowerment Initiative.

The event, held on Friday in Jalingo, aims to equip young people with skills and create employment opportunities across the state.

The NDE Director-General, Silas Agara, who declared the orientation open, explained that these 1,680 individuals are part of the 93,731 beneficiaries nationwide, under a collaborative effort with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

Agara was represented by Chris Basida, the Taraba Coordinator of NDE.

The beneficiaries were selected from the 168 electoral wards across Taraba’s 16 local government areas. Agara outlined that the initiative, which targets unskilled and unemployed persons, is designed to engage 93,731 people across Nigeria.

This includes at least 10 beneficiaries from each of Nigeria’s 8,809 electoral wards.

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The program offers training in four key areas: vocational skill development, small-scale enterprises, rural employment promotion, and special public works.

Beneficiaries were selected through an online portal to ensure transparency and a credible database.

Agara highlighted that 40,000 out of the 93,731 beneficiaries would be trained in ICT and digital skills, preparing them for the global job market.

He also assured the trainees that they would receive starter packs after the three-month program to help them begin their own businesses.

The event was attended by representatives from civil society organizations, security agencies, the academia, and the media.