776 rural youths receive business starter packs in Delta

The lives of 776 rural youths in Delta State have been transformed as the state Government distributed business start-up packs to them after graduating from the Rural Youth Skill Acquisition Programme (RYSA).

The graduands were among the 810 persons who enrolled for the programme and were successfully trained in the 10 skill areas including aluminium profiling, catering & confectionary, electrical installations & repairs, fashion design, hairdressing and make-over, POP, screed-making and painting.

Others are plumbing, tiling, welding and fabrication as well as woodwork and furniture.

Speaking at the distribution of the start-up packs in Asaba, the Commissioner for Youth Development, Comrade Ifeanyi Egwunyenga said the RYSA programme was a ward-based skills development initiative, designed by the state government to equip rural youths with income-earning opportunities through skill acquisition and entrepreneurship to make them self-reliant, stem youth restiveness, discourage rural-urban drift and grow the local economy.

He enjoined the graduands to take advantage of the rare and unique opportunity offered by Governor Okowa who had taken them out of the vicious cycle of little hope by providing them with the unique platform to be gainfully engaged.

The commissioner stated that “the training process is done and dusted but it is a new beginning for you to tell the world your success story.”

He further advised that the euphoria of being a boss should not take the best out of them but rather, they should remain humble, focused, disciplined as well as maintain good public relations with their trainers and clients.”

One of the graduands of the Community Business School (CBS), Mr Gabriel Okonji, commended the state government for the laudable initiative which had taken the beneficiaries off the unemployment market and given them hope, adding that the programme should not be politicised and should be made open to all youths in the state.

Some beneficiaries, Mrs Peres Alfred who trained as a fashion designer and Mr Michael Omatsola, a POP, screed and painting entrepreneur, expressed their profound appreciation to Governor Okowa for the rare opportunity to be bosses of their own businesses.

Mr Omatsola emphatically said, “we would ensure that the materials given to us would be put into proper use to create wealth and become employers of labour.”

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