SEDC Adopts New Youth Development Scheme
The South East Development Commission, SEDC, says it has developed a new concept of working with the South East Chamber of Commerce in the training of youths and aspiring entrepreneurs in the South East region.
Speaking during a Youth Interactive Forum organised by the SEDC in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, stated that the Commission would collaborate with the South East Chamber of Commerce to support Small and Medium Enterprises in the South East region.
He said: " We are considering setting up a South East Chamber of Commerce that will strengthen young entrepreneurs in the region. It is no longer acceptable that our youths will be at home and be receiving stipends. Hence, we are changing the SEDC Youth Volunteer programme to Youth Internship Programmes where youths will be attached to organisations for one year to learn skills.
“The chamber of commerce will help us to ensure that the programme is sustainable. We will focus on empowering young entrepreneurs because government cannot employ everybody. We will engage the youths to work for the benefit of everyone.”
Ogbuku remarked that the SEDC was seeking partnerships through stakeholder engagements, noting: “We have gathered at this forum to hear from the youths; to interact with them and rub minds because we realise that we cannot be planning programmes for youths without involving them at the foundational level.
He said further: “The integration of ideas starts from the conception stage. That way, when the programme starts running, ideas of stakeholders are already incorporated. We believe that the youths must contribute to whatever plans we have for them.”
On sustainability, the SEDC Boss said: “Over the years, certain things were done in ways that are unsustainable. There must be a change at every stage of growth. If we have used certain options and not gotten good results, we must explore other options.”
He observed that the SEDC had set up a Public, Private Partnership, PPP, committee to explore sustainable relationships which will impact positively on the people of the region.
He declared: "We intend to look at all opportunities for collaboration during the PPP summit which we are planning to take place in April. We cannot continue to rely on International Oil Companies to raise funds for development projects."
In his contribution, the leader of Rivers Youth Forum, Mr. Blessing Fubara, urged the SEDC to make the Youth Interactive Forum a quarterly event, stating that the current management in the Commission had demonstrated sufficient interest in providing for the wellbeing of people.
In his closing remarks, the SEDC Executive Director Finance and Administration, Major General Charles Airhiavbere,(Rtd.), assured the youths that the new ideas put forward by the Commission’s Managing Director had been incorporated into the Commission’s 2024 budget.
Ibitoye Abosede, Ph.D.
Director, Corporate Affairs
March 28, 2023.