In a move to reduce youth restiveness and foster economic growth, about 1.7 million youths in Abia State have been selected for entrepreneurship training under the “Youth Out Loud Abia” initiative. This program, spearheaded by the state’s Directorate General of Ndi-Abia, aims to mobilize, mentor, and empower young people as community development marshals across all wards in the state.
Rev. Chidi Jacob, Director General of Ndi-Abia, explained that this initiative is designed not only to provide training but also to serve as a transformative framework for economic and community-driven growth. The program is structured around key sectors such as the Digital Economy, Creative Economy, Agro-economy, Cultural economy, Green economy, Blue economy, and Orange economy.
The initiative, according to Jacob, will reorient Abia youths, steering them away from social vices like drug abuse and directing their energy towards productive and sustainable development. The marshals trained under this program will lead efforts to drive innovation, economic growth, and inclusive development in their communities.
Victor Wilkinson Agih, Lead Sustainable Development Expert and Director of the ACCEED (Abia Growth through Innovation, Leadership & Enterprise) program, emphasized the program’s decentralized model. This model facilitates a cooperative network of over 170 ward-level enterprise hubs and 17,000 startup cooperatives, creating village-to-village socio-economic engines of growth essential for sustainable development.
The program, which embodies the principles of Village2Village and Ward2Ward engagement, calls on all Abians, both at home and abroad, along with corporate partners and development agencies, to support this initiative. Agih stressed that collaboration is crucial to building a sustainable and prosperous future for Abia State.
This ambitious initiative is expected to not only drive economic growth but also cultivate a new generation of empowered and responsible citizens dedicated to the state’s transformation.
