The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq, has said the Federal Government will soon enlist additional 400,000 youths under the N-power programme Batch C2 which is aimed at equipping the youths with life-long skills.
The minister represented by deputy director, Finance and Account, Muhammad Sambo, stated this at the closing ceremony for over 3,000 youths from Northwest zone trained in software and hardware skills under the Batch C1 of the N-Knowledge component of the N-Power programme.
According to her, “It is no longer news that Mr. President has approved that N-Power be expanded to accommodate one million beneficiaries. We have carefully implemented this where the Batch C1 accommodates a total of 510,000 beneficiaries and the batch C2 will commence soon to enlist more Nigerian youths.
The Minister reiterated that N-Power programme is a critical part of the National Social Investment Programmes domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHADMSD), designed to achieve the objectives of poverty reduction and job creation and is key to helping young Nigerians acquire and develop life-long skills that ensure they become solution providers and entrepreneurs in their communities.
The programme has 3 core segments: N-Power Volunteer Corps – the Graduate programme, N-Power Build – Non graduate programme and N-Power Knowledge – a non-graduate programme that embodies the N-Tech Hardware, N-Tech Software and the N-Creative training programmes (Animation and Scriptwriting).
The minister explained that N-Knowledge programme is focused on equipping young Nigerians with relevant skills and certification to become competent workers, innovators and entrepreneurs prepared for both the domestic and global digital job market, targeted to upskill 20,000 young Nigerians on the global radar as exporters of world- class services and content in the creative and information technology sectors. She said the shortfall of about 7,000 will be mopped up as soon as possible to meet up with the target of 20,000 as earmarked for this tranche.
“This training component is targeted at developing competencies of the youth in software development, hardware training and creative industry which is catalytic as well as the groundwork to make Nigeria compete in the outsourcing market for software development. It will also develop the skills and capacities along the skills set in the value chain of website development, mobile apps maintenance and start the talent development effort for the growth of information technology industry in Nigeria adding that the Ministry is committed to ensuring that the strategic objectives of all the social intervention programmes are achieved and sustained. The Minister thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his unwavering efforts in eradicating poverty in our country and supporting and sustaining the National Social Investment Programme.
