Obaseki, who spoke to journalists in Benin City, said through pragmatic reforms and interventions that have revived the state’s economic landscape and attracted more investors into Edo, the government has been able to engage more youths, create jobs and reduce unemployment.
According to him, “apart from interventions by the state’s skills development agency, EdoJobs in the information technology, manufacturing, construction and the creative industry, we have embarked on people-centric programmes that have transformed the job landscape in Edo and positively impacted the livelihoods of the people.”
He listed some of the interventions to include the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Ossiomo Power Company to provide stable power to drive the state’s industrial sector; the establishment of the 6000bpd Edo Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited, and the extensive agricultural development programmes such as the Edo State Oil Palm Programme (ESOPP), which have opened up the space for large scale commercial farming in the state, impacting the lives of thousands of farmers, among other initiatives.
Obaseki added, “We have also upskilled our youths and placed them on a pedestal to actively participate in the fourth industrial revolution through capacity building and skills development initiatives, chief among which is the Edo Tech Park programme developed in partnership with a leading technology company, Decagon, through which we are training not less than 15,000 software engineers in the state in the next five years.
“The Edo Innovation Hub, Edo Production Centre, the Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub and Sound Stage are other expressions of how we have meaningfully engaged our youths, leading to the creation of over 300,000 jobs in the state.”
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