The Ondo State Government in conjunction with Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has started training of over 360 youths on different business enterprise, VAM News reports.

VAM gathered the three-day entrepreneurship programme, organised by Ministry of Youths and Sports Development with SMEDAN, started on Monday and would end on Wednesday.

Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu,SAN of the state said that one of the major problems facing youths in the country was unemployment, hence the the need to train youths on businesses.

The governor who was, represented by his Deputy, Hon Agboola Ajayi, said one of the core values of his cardinal action plan as a government was human capital development, being the foundation of socio-economic growth of the state.

According to him, over four million youths enters the labour market against the available one million job.

Akeredolu said "As our administration is committed to sustainable youth empowerment,this three-day capacity building training is intended to unlock and re-invent your creative potential and provide another opportunity for you to either start or scale up your existing businesses.

"We cannot pretend to be unaware of the teething challenges confronting up and coming young entrepreneurs,notably the inability to access the initial capital outlay," he said.

Akeredolu said the agricultural value chain business was significant aspect of his government's plan to create jobs for unemployed youths and to grow the state economy.

He revealed that the business had engaged over 18,000 youths,with social protection and reinvestment programmes had currently engaged about 50,000 youths through its various components.


Also, the commissioner for Youth and Sport Development, Mr Dotun Owanikin said the programme showed the commitment of the governor towards youths in the state.

He said the training would make the youths self-reliant and empowering them to ensure a sustainable employment opportunities in the state.

Owanikin revealed that each local government had minimum of 20 youths, saying," what we are trying to do here is to start a chain of employment for the youths in the state."

The State Manager of SMEDAN Mr Biodun Ayedun thanked the government of the state for giving the youths opportunity to be employers of labour.

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