NDDC unveils second phase of youth empowerment programme

The Niger Delta Development Commission says the second phase of its Holistic Opportunities Programmes for Engagement project will target the empowerment  of youths within the oil-rich region.

This was announced by the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, during the launching of the programme’s second phase in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Monday.

Ogbuku said that the project was conceived out of the necessity to address the pressing challenges facing the youths, especially in the area of employment and the lack of opportunities for meaningful engagement.

Ogbuku said, “The second phase is the implementation phase of eight meticulously designed programmes aimed at creating jobs and empowering our youths across various sectors such as agriculture and technology.

“The success of Project HOPE requires a concerted effort from all stakeholders. I extend an open invitation to government entities, private sector players, international partners, community leaders and non-governmental organisations to join us in this noble venture.”

The NDDC boss advised youths in the Niger Delta region to embrace the opportunities with zeal and determination, saying “You are the architects of your destiny and the catalysts for regional transformation.

“Over the years, what has been happening is that because of political interests, people are given slots to nominate participants for empowerment programmes and most of these participants never had passion for these training programmes.

“After the training programmes, you see people selling off the starter packs and other equipment that were given to them after the training. In this case, we believe that once we pick you from the data based on your area of interest and passion, you are going to excel from there. And since you are in our database, we will also have our monitoring process to track your performance.”

In his address, the commission’s Executive Director, Project, Victor Antai, noted that Project HOPE is a beacon of optimism and a catalyst for change.