The Akwa Ibom State Government has been urged to develop a comprehensive Climate Change Policy that prioritises green skills development, green jobs, and the circular economy as key pillars to facilitate the state’s transition to a green economy.
The call was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a stakeholders’ roundtable on the Promotion of Green Jobs and Green Enterprise Development in Akwa Ibom, held in Uyo. The event was organised by the State Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources in partnership with the Clement Isong Foundation (CIF) through the Ambeghe Movement.
The stakeholders noted that promoting green jobs requires not only support for green enterprises but also deliberate investment in green skills development through vocational training, certification programmes, and the integration of green economy curricula into educational institutions across the state.
They also called on the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources to institutionalise an annual Green Enterprise Exhibition and Innovation Fair to provide a platform for youth-led enterprises to access markets, investors, and technical partnerships.
The participants further observed that the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT) framework established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 should be strategically leveraged as a financing and programme implementation mechanism for green skills development. They noted that significant resources flow through host community trusts in the state’s oil-producing communities, presenting an untapped opportunity to finance green enterprise development.
Part of the communiqué reads: “The Akwa Ibom State Government should develop a dedicated Green Jobs Framework that strategically maps the state’s sectoral strengths, identifies the skill sets with the highest funding and resource mobilisation potential, and creates clear, structured pathways through which young people and entrepreneurs can access green employment and enterprise opportunities.
“It also recommended that a multi-stakeholder platform be established to track progress, share data, and mobilise funding for green job initiatives across the state.”
The stakeholders further emphasised that all green jobs, skills development, and enterprise support programmes should be inclusive of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), ensuring that training curricula, funding opportunities, and market access initiatives are designed and implemented in ways that are accessible, inclusive, and equitable.
