No fewer than 87,057 unemployed youths and women have benefitted from the trainings and employment generation of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Akwa Ibom since its inception in 1986.
The state NDE Coordinator, Mr Promise Ekah, made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen in Uyo recently.
Ekah said the directorate had not relented in tackling unemployment in the country since its establishment.
According to him, in Akwa Ibom 87,057 people who were hitherto unemployed now have jobs through the instrumentality of NDE job creation programme.
“For over 25 years, we have designed programmes and strategies which we have implemented to address the dynamic nature of unemployment in the country,” he said.
He said youths and women received training on computer operation, GSM repairs, catering, cosmetology, tailoring, hair dressing and other trades.
The coordinator said that the directorate had put in place a monitoring and evaluation system to ensure that the trained youths and women engaged in worthwhile ventures.
Ekah called on the state government to partner with NDE and take advantage of its employment generation programmes to meet the challenges posed by unemployment in the state.
He also enjoined other stakeholders, including local governments, organisations and individuals, to help in providing starter packs for those trained to enable them start businesses.
