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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has called on the Delta State Government to strengthen its partnership with the agency to expand job opportunities, support entrepreneurship and facilitate the resettlement of beneficiaries trained under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Employment Initiative (RHEI).
Acting Director-General of the NDE, Mr. Edmund Onwuliri, made the appeal during a working visit to Asaba, where he met with state officials and presented business start-up equipment to beneficiaries of the second phase of the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative.
Speaking during a meeting with the Secretary to the Delta State Government, Dr. Kingsley Eze Emu, who represented Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, Onwuliri said stronger collaboration between the NDE and the state government was essential to tackling unemployment through skills acquisition, entrepreneurship development and enterprise creation.
He disclosed that the Directorate trained 891 unemployed persons across Delta State during the first phase of the initiative and expanded the programme to 1,067 beneficiaries in the second phase, covering vocational skills, agriculture, entrepreneurship and public works.
However, he noted that although 380 beneficiaries in the state were approved for resettlement under the second phase, only 33 had received business start-up equipment due to funding constraints.
Onwuliri appealed to the Delta State Government to support the remaining beneficiaries, saying the NDE remained committed to creating sustainable livelihoods through skills development and enterprise support.
“The vision of the National Directorate of Employment remains job creation for all Nigerians. Through the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative, we are equipping beneficiaries with practical skills and providing starter packs that will enable them establish sustainable businesses and become employers of labour,” he said.
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The Acting Director-General also announced that the third phase of the initiative would commence in mid-July 2026 with an upgraded digital registration and management platform integrating the National Identification Number (NIN) and Bank Verification Number (BVN) to improve transparency, accountability and payment processes.
He further revealed that the Directorate had partnered with Timeterest to develop a digital application that would enable beneficiaries market their products and services while allowing the agency to monitor the growth of their businesses.
To deepen cooperation, Onwuliri proposed the establishment of a joint task team between the NDE and the Delta State Government to develop practical strategies for employment generation across the state.
Responding, Emu reaffirmed Governor Oborevwori’s commitment to youth empowerment and employment creation, describing the NDE as an important partner in the state’s human capital development agenda.
He pledged that the state government would support beneficiaries who were yet to receive starter packs and requested a comprehensive database containing their names, local government areas, fields of training and year of training to facilitate government intervention.
He also disclosed that the NDE would be linked with the state’s technical team to strengthen collaboration on employment generation initiatives.
During the visit, the NDE distributed business start-up equipment to beneficiaries trained in tailoring, welding and fabrication, computer operations, solar installation, GSM phone repairs, carpentry, catering, electrical installation and landscaping. Beneficiaries under the soft landscaping programme also received wheelbarrows, utility carts and water pumping machines.
Addressing the beneficiaries, Onwuliri urged them to regard the equipment as seed capital rather than government handouts and encouraged them to build viable businesses capable of creating employment opportunities for others.
