Adamawa State Deputy Governor, Prof. Kaletapwa George Farauta, has called on youths to take the lead in driving entrepreneurial development as a strategic tool for reducing poverty and unemployment in the state.
Farauta made the call on Thursday at a Youth Entrepreneurship Summit held at the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola. She was represented by the Director of Administration in her office, Hajiya Hauwa Ali Banu.
She said youths, who constitute over 60 per cent of the population, must leverage creative thinking and innovative skills to overcome rising unemployment challenges in the country.
Banu noted that the state government has introduced several empowerment programmes through the Poverty Alleviation and Wealth Creation Agency (PAWECA), aimed at providing job opportunities for more than 20,000 youths and women.
According to her, the programmes include training in mechanical and automotive engineering, electrical repairs, welding, GSM maintenance, renewable energy systems, carpentry, tiling, POP work, solar installations, tailoring and fashion design, among others.
The director added that the Civil Service Commission is currently recruiting 5,000 employees—mostly youths—into Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to reduce unemployment. She also said an additional 5,000 teachers are being recruited to support the state’s free education policy.
Banu further disclosed that the first batch of 100 postgraduate scholarship beneficiaries had departed for Turkey to pursue master’s degrees in engineering, ICT, architecture and medical sciences.
She said the scholarship scheme reflects the government’s commitment to investing in human capital development.
“We can collectively or individually contribute to making Nigeria better in all areas of human endeavour. It is the power of creative thinking and ideas that can lift us out of poverty,” she said.
She emphasised that education must remain a top priority, describing it as the foundation of a progressive society.
President of the youth forum, Maryam Mohammed Kolo, thanked participants and encouraged them to apply the innovative strategies shared by resource persons.
An award of recognition for empowering women and youths was presented to the deputy governor.
