The Minister of Youth and Sports Development Mr. Sunday Dare, has said his administration remains focused on finding ways to engage Nigerian youths productively.
He made this assertion when he received a delegation from the African Development Bank (AFDB), on Monday in Abuja.
He revealed that plans have been ongoing with the Bank which had seen the positives in Ministry’s DEEL initiative aimed at ensuring that the Nigerian youth are employable and are equipped with skills necessary for the 21st century.
Speaking at the meeting, the Minister said the initial worry on youth development funding triggered his administration to seek partnerships to its objectives.
“From the point of the mandate that we have as a Ministry, the youth bond in this country worries us, primarily because this Ministry has an unfunded mandate when it comes to youth development.
“Our National Youth Policy (NYP) gives us eleven thematic areas: youth and sports development, youth and science and technology, youth and technology, etc. and in looking at all these with the percentage of budget, we have to implement then you know how tough it is for us which has made us aggressive in seeking out for partners.”
He expressed optimism that the goals of the DEEL initiative will be achieved as soon as the programme kicks off.
In their response, the leader of the delegation pledged that the Bank would work hand in hand with the Ministry to foster development in ICT, Agriculture and Industrialization.
