Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State has pledged to expand the Enugu youth skills programme as part of his administration’s efforts to equip young people with practical and digital skills.
Mbah made the commitment on Monday while inspecting a six-week digital training and skills acquisition programme organised by his Special Assistant on Youth Development and Mobilisation, Charles Edeh, in partnership with CUTECH Group.
Represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, the governor said investing in young people remained critical to reducing poverty, improving productivity and creating better opportunities across the state.
According to him, the programme reflects his administration’s commitment to preparing young people for the changing demands of the economy.
“Youth development is a direct investment in the future of Enugu State,” Mbah said.
The governor also promised that the initiative would be expanded to accommodate more participants and reach a wider number of young people across Enugu.
Earlier, Edeh said the training programme was designed as part of a broader youth development framework that would target young people across the 17 local government areas of the state.
He described youth development as an investment rather than an expense, stressing the need to ensure that young people have access to opportunities regardless of where they live.
“Every young person in Enugu deserves a chance to dream, a chance to learn and a chance to succeed,” Edeh said.
He added that the broader initiative would seek to identify and develop talents that may otherwise remain undiscovered because of limited access to training and opportunities, particularly among youths in rural communities.
The Managing Director of CUTECH Group, Collins Onu, disclosed that more than 1,500 people applied for the programme, but only 200 were selected because of limited training capacity.
READ MORE: Presidency Pledges Support As Nigeria Hosts World PR Forum
Onu said the initiative was part of CUTECH Group’s corporate social responsibility efforts aimed at equipping young people with relevant skills and knowledge to compete in the future economy.
The development comes as governments and private organisations increasingly focus on digital skills, entrepreneurship and vocational training as tools for addressing youth unemployment and improving economic participation.
With the planned expansion of the programme, the Enugu State Government is expected to provide more young people with access to skills that can improve their employability, support entrepreneurship and increase their participation in the digital economy.