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As part of its agenda for youth development, Ondo State is set to partner with Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), while targeting accessing Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) intervention loans for small businesses in the state.
Addressing newsmen on the development, in the state capital, Akure, recently, the Coordinator of Unemployed Graduates of Nigeria (UGN) who is also the president of Ondo State youths, urged youths to embrace Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs).
In his remarks, he added that the youth should strive to be trained by certified agencies like the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN). Longe added that the Ondo State government is ready to partner with SMEDAN in training interested youths in the state.
“The executive members of UGN had discussed with Mr Joel Ogunsola, the Senior Special Assistant on Innovation and Partnerships to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, to see how they can partner with SMEDAN to train unemployed youths.
“Ogunsola has assured us that the governor is fully ready to make the partnership effective so that our youths can have their own substantive sources of income and livelihood,” he said.
He commended the Federal Government through the CBN and Ondo State government for youth-friendly SMEs programmes which have already been kick-started across the state, while urging the governor to do more.
“We, unemployed graduates of Ondo State with registered members of over 66,000 across 18 local government areas of the state, commend Gov. Akeredolu for putting us in mind with good programmes for positive transformation.
“Concerning his promise for distribution of `Keke Aketi’ (tricycles meant for commercial purpose), we humbly enjoin him to be fast about it because this gesture will make most of us bread-winners,” he said.
