The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has commenced the training of 500 youths on mobile phone repairs, software and entrepreneurship development.
The Board said the programme, which will run for eight weeks, including classroom and apprenticeship, is one of the bold initiatives of NCDMB to reduce the high rate of youth unemployment in Bayelsa State,
In a statement yesterday, the board said the successful trainees would be provided hardware repair tools, shops and financial support by the Board to help them start their careers at the end of the training.
Speaking at the kick-off ceremony held in Yenagoa on Friday, the executive secretary of NCDMB, Mr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote described the initiative as “a strategic intervention between the Board and the Bayelsa state government.
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According to him, the federal and state governments need to be very strategic in terms of how they create employment.
Represented by the general manager, research, statistics & development, Mr. Abdulmalik Halilu, the NCDMB boss pointed out that the training is a key initiative under the technical capacity development pillar of the Nigerian Content 10-Year Strategic Roadmap.
Wabote said the intent is to build the capacities of young Nigerians in oil and gas and ancillary sectors, making them self-reliant and self-employed.
According to him, the ancillary sectors such as information and communication technology, agriculture, construction, and others have the capacity to create millions of jobs for young Nigerians.
The ES noted that the GSM phone has become a critical tool for business and education, especially in the e-commerce and knowledge-based economy. He emphasized that the value chain for mobile telephone is extensive, and it includes the production of the phone itself, marketing, and installation of applications.
The phones develop faults regularly and the owners often become desperate to fix them, hence the relevant skills for repairs and software are most vital.
In addition to the start-up packs promised, trainees are to receive a stipend of N30, 000.00 (thirty thousand naira) monthly, and N60, 000.00 (sixty thousand naira) at exit.
The Bayelsa state governor, Senator Douye Diri, represented by the state commissioner for labour, employment and productivity, Mr. Stanley Braboke, commended the NCDMB for the initiative and charged the trainees to make the best use of the opportunity.
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The governor said the prosperity agenda of the current administration in the state places a premium on vocational training and skills acquisition which could make beneficiaries income earners and self-reliant.
“Phones are everywhere in Bayelsa State, and they develop faults,” he added.
The NCDMB and state government are determined that all local government areas should benefit from the youth training programme both in the selection of trainees and in access to mobile phone repair services, he said.
The Board has held similar trainings in some states across country, including Kano, Yobe, Cross River and Bauchi States.
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