...As it Targets Economic Growth and Development of Young Entrepreneurs Within the Region.
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has restated its commitment towards empowering the young entrepreneurs of the Niger Deltans through economic programmes by pledging to decorate the Niger Delta Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Trade, Mines and Agriculture (NDCCITMA) N30 billion counterpart fund.
Recall that in the commission’s 2024 budget, the management made provision for 30 billion naira, which is designed to be used as matching funds for the chamber of commerce. To that effect, the management said the commission is doing everything humanly possible to release this fund to enable the chamber of commerce to begin work as and when due.
The Managing Director of the commission, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, who announced this recently in an interview with newsmen at the NDDC’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, stated that the role of NDCCITMA in training youths of the region includes training, designing industry-friendly skill development programmes, provision of financial support, networking opportunities for businesses, and supporting SMEs to drive economic growth and development in the Niger Delta region.
However, the NDDC Boss hinted that the Chamber of Commerce will serve as a source of strength to young entrepreneurs in the region and will not tolerate the habits of youths within the region being content with receiving stipends while at home doing nothing. He assured that the commission was collaborating with the Bank of Industry (BOI) to ensure the success of NDDC’s youth development programmes.
Furthermore, he warned that only entrepreneurs who identified with the Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce as registered members, which covers all the nine states of the Niger Delta region, will benefit from the support. He added that the consultant processing the applications of millions of youths was harmonising the entries for the different skill sects to ensure that they could all take off simultaneously and also firm up the terms of the internship scheme, knowing that the applications were in different areas.
Ogbuku assured:
“Our new strategy is to support genuine entrepreneurs rather than people who are just portfolio entrepreneurs because we know that the government alone cannot employ everybody. Many university graduates are coming out, and the government cannot employ all of them.
“The current NDDC Board and Management choose to look at sustainable options in designing youth programmes. In the past, we did a lot in supporting entrepreneurs in the Niger Delta, but these activities were not properly documented and backed with verifiable data.
“In our 2024 budget, we have provision for 30 billion naira which we are to use as matching funds for the chamber of commerce. We are working towards releasing this fund so that the chamber of commerce can start work in earnest. “However, we can empower them by creating an environment where they can engage other persons to expand their businesses.
“We are providing N30 billion to fund projects and support businesses to ensure the sustainability of our youth development initiatives, and the youths will be attached to organisations for one year to learn different skills.”
Moreover, Ogbuku revealed that some of these organisations to run the programmes are ready, but the commission chose to apply a seamless takeoff, while waiting for all the different skill areas to kick off concurrently.
Also, he maintained that with regards to the information given to them by the consultant, while they await the final list of beneficiaries who would be promptly notified in the next few weeks for the effective implementation of the youth programme, the payment of the beneficiaries will commence in January 2025.
