The Akwa Ibom government says it has trained 200 youths and women on entrepreneurial development in business education, under its Youths Entrepreneurial Development Programme .
Gov. Udom Emmanuel disclosed this at the certification and induction ceremony of the 4th batch of participants under the State’s Youths Entrepreneurial Development Programme on Saturday in Uyo.
The programme is tagged “My Entrepreneurial Goals Programme (MEGP).
Emmanuel said his administration was commitment to human capacity development, especially in the areas of business education and entrepreneurial development.
Represented by Mr. Ukpong Akpabio, the Commissioner for trade and investment, the governor said the state government had demonstrated its readiness to properly equip her citizens with entrepreneurial skill.
He said such skill would enable them to be a player in the big league of businesses and enterprises.
The governor noted that the state government would continue with the MEGP training beyond the current 4th batch.
In his remarks, Mr. Ime Uwah, the Senior Special Assistant to governor on Marketing and Brand Management, lauded the governor for his passion for youths development and entrepreneurial education in the state.
Uwah said through the programme, young entrepreneur in the state had been trained, given access to mentoring on the right business network.
He further explained that through the Project Based Assistances(PBA), offered to alumni of the MEGP programme, the burden of registration and certification, small equipment financing, as well as sundry inventory support had been lifted off the shoulders of young entrepreneurs.
He congratulated the 4th batch of graduands for their resilience and tenacity.
Uwah urged the beneficiaries to see their membership of the MEGP Alumni network as a gold mine of opportunities, even as they join the categories of business owners, who were self-reliant, and willing to learn.
In his goodwill message, Mr. Aniekan Bassey, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, commended the governor for his numerous investments in entrepreneurial development.
Bassey noted that the youths in particular and the society at large were direct beneficiaries of the investment.
The speaker, who was represent by Mr. Mark Esset, a member representing Nsit Atai state constituency, said that the assembly would do its part to ensure that the Youths Entrepreneurial Development Programme outlived the present administration in the state.
According to him, this will be done by enacting relevant laws to institutionalize the programme.
Newsmen report that the participants were trained for 12 weeks on intensive entrepreneurial education.
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Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr. Aniekan Okon, promised that they would deploy knowledge gained at the programme in their respective businesses to ensure optimal productivity.
Okon expressed gratitude to the state government for selecting them to be part of the training.
