Bauchi govt, UNICEF to train 13,000 girls in digital skills
By Matthew Eloyi
With the inauguration of the Girls Employability and Skills Partnership (GESP) programme to empower youth and eradicate poverty in Bauchi State, the State Government in partnership with United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is set to train 13,000 girls in digital skills.
The UNICEF Chief of Field Office in Bauchi State, Dr Tusshar Rane, disclosed this at a one-day State Level Consultation meeting of the programme in Bauchi.
He said that UNICEF with funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in the United Kingdom and the Standard Chartered Bank would support the improvement of employability and skills development of adolescents in Nigeria from ages 10 to 24.
Read Also: INEC Declares Fintiri Winner Of Adamawa Governorship Election
According to Rane, the GESP programme which will run from 2013 to 2030, is being implemented in four pilot states across the country.
He noted that the programme would utilise the Nigerian Learning Passport (NLP), to facilitate skills development and transition from school to work in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education and the State Governments.
The programme, he said, targeted formal and informal sectors to empower youth and women, to enable them to learn trades and become self-reliant.
In his words, “The initiative is expected to positively impact the country’s future job growth enabling programme between 2021 and 2030”.
Also, Mukhtar Ibrahim, who spoke in a presentation, said the programme targetted 13,000 adolescents in Bauchi State.
He said the programme was designed to improve digital skills and encourage entrepreneurship development of the youth to eradicate poverty and enhance wealth creation in society.
“It is In line with the Federal Government’s economic agenda.
“It engaged multilateral agencies and the private sector in creating special opportunities for young Nigerians,” he said.
Earlier, the UNICEF Education Specialist, Mr S Abdulrahman said the meeting was designed to sensitise the participants on the GESP initiative.
He said that the participants would also develop a framework as well as a tracking and monitoring strategy to facilitate the successful implementation of the programme in the state.
About 50 participants drawn from the State Ministry of Education, education authorities, Civil Society Organisations, development organisations and the media attended the meeting.
