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By Akudiang Comfort Pius, Jos
The Plateau State Government says it is determined to make the state a hub for digital technology and vocational skills, with a proposed ₦2 billion supplementary budget to strengthen youth empowerment initiatives.
Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Musa Ashoms, who spoke at the flag-off of the current batch of the Plateau Youth Entrepreneurship and Skills Acquisition (PLAYESA) “Skills for Wealth” training at the National Youth Centre, Shere Hills, Jos, said the programme was designed to give young people practical opportunities to earn sustainable livelihoods.
“The training is for young people to acquire skills, because not everyone can get white-collar jobs,” Ashoms said. “In this batch, we have 150 participants, and another 100 will join soon, making a total of 250 youths drawn from the 17 local government areas of Plateau State. At the end of the programme, they will gain ICT, fashion design, shoemaking, and bag production skills. These are trades people have made fortunes from, and we cannot be left behind.”
He explained that the state was deliberate about prioritising youth empowerment.
“The supplementary budget season is here, and as a Ministry, we have requested the House of Assembly to approve ₦2bn so that our young people will be exposed to different skills. In ICT, we want Plateau State to become a hub. The Governor has donated the Joseph Gomwalk House to serve as an ICT centre for our youths, while the Federal Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy is laying 30km of fibre optics in Plateau. So, Plateau is going to become an ICT hub, and we want our youths to take advantage,” he said.
Zonal Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Deborah Simon Pitmang, urged participants to take the training seriously, warning that the scheme was not for show.
“The trade areas have been streamlined into three core areas: ICT, fashion design, and leather works. Our role is strictly to facilitate and train. This is not ‘skills for WhatsApp.’ This programme is meant to give you start-up kits and empower you to create wealth, not to sell the equipment for quick cash,” she stated.
Some participants described the training as a life-changing intervention.
“This is a very, very good initiative. I must applaud the Governor, because the world is moving digital. With the ICT training, it will boost so many things and give us an eye opener on how the ICT world works. When I go back, I’ll do more research and put in more effort to make something out of it for myself,” an ICT trainee said.
Others in fashion design and leatherworks also expressed optimism that the initiative would help them establish businesses and support their families, commending the government for tackling unemployment through practical empowerment.
The PLAYESA “Skills for Wealth” programme, launched under Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, targets youths across Plateau’s 17 local government areas with entrepreneurship and vocational training.
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