As part of efforts aimed at reducing the poverty headcount index in the state through empowerment programmes, the Enugu State Government has flagged off the first batch of the Enugu State Sustainable Economic Empowerment Programme, E-SEEP.
The first batch of the E-SEEP initiative, with over 200 participants, was flagged off at the Enugu South Local Government secretariat in Uwani, Enugu.
The programme duration for the batch is between six weeks and two months, depending on the vocational skill of choice of the participants.
Declaring the programme open, the state governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Prof Chidiebere Onyia, charged the participants to take the opportunity seriously to become employers of labor in the next two years.
He said the state government was making huge efforts to unlock the inner potentials of the people, assuring that his administration would continue to initiate policies and programmes aimed at improving the living standards of the people.
“What we are doing today is to fulfil the promise of the Mbah administration to empower our youths economically.
“We have identified unemployment as a major driver of the insecurity ravaging our societies and decided that deliberate steps must be taken to begin to direct our youths towards gainful ventures that will keep them occupied.
“The E-SEEP initiative was thought out and the beneficiaries must ensure that the government does not see any reason to withdraw this initiative due to unseriousness or laxity,” he said.
Earlier, the focal person and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs Onyinye Akubuilo-Okpalanma said E-SEEP is a robust programme designed to train each of the participants on one vocational skill, entrepreneurial skill, financial literacy skill, and digital marketing skill.
She said the participants, the majority of whom were selected from the state unemployment register domiciled with the Ministry of Labour and Employment, would also benefit from six months of post-training business mentoring by experts in their chosen vocational fields.
While stating that the batch one participants consisted of 70% women and physically challenged persons, the focal person said the programme is sponsored by the Enugu State Government and is 100% free for all participants.
