The Plateau State Government has expanded its youth empowerment fund to N4 billion in a bid to provide young people with loans to start businesses and create jobs across the state.
Commissioner for Youths, Musa Ashoms, disclosed this on Monday during a youth empowerment program held at the Federal Youth Centre in Jos North Local Government Area.
“Just two days ago, we met with young people to discuss the Plateau Building Agency. We brought in 302 youths to the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre, and they had an interface with the governor. He announced a package where a bank is willing to give us N2bn, and the government will provide counterpart funding of N2bn, making it N4bn, so that we can give our young people loans to start businesses,” Ashoms said.
The commissioner explained that the programme, organised under the ‘Plateau Youth Employment and Skill Acquisition’ scheme, was designed to equip youths with practical skills in ICT, leather works, and fashion design.
“We’ve given them starter packs and seed capital to help them set up businesses in their communities. We hope they will return and make a meaningful impact,” he added, while commending Governor Caleb Mutfwang for approving the counterpart funding that made the project possible.
Deborah Pitmang, Zonal Coordinator of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, lauded the initiative, describing Plateau’s National Youth Centre as one of the most viable in the North Central zone.
“This is the very first time Plateau State itself is coming to do this kind of programme here. The training covered leather works, ICT, and fashion design. We trained 250 youths, and they were taught to form clusters and pool resources to maximise opportunities,” she said.
One of the beneficiaries, Peter Daboer, thanked the government for the opportunity, noting that the training had rekindled hope for many participants.
“The programme has equipped us with the skills, knowledge, and confidence necessary to excel in our chosen fields and contribute to the economic growth of Plateau State and Nigeria at large,” he said.
With the new N4bn fund and ongoing skills training, the Plateau government says it is determined to drive inclusive youth empowerment, reduce unemployment, and foster entrepreneurship across the state.
