In its bid to empower over 15,000 youths by 2019, the management of Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited has just concluded a 3-day workshop in Benin, Edo State where it trained over 1,000 youths in a bid to improve their fortunes and create viable business opportunities for them.
Speaking, the Edo state Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki expressed delight for the empowerment programme and advised participants to make best use of the skills which the NBC platform has created, promising to support participants with the best ideas with necessary funding.
While commending NBC for creating such a laudable platform, Obaseki reassured the company of his administration’s total support for such laudable idea. He noted that the gesture would go a long way to complement the administration’s policies of creating opportunities for youths by acquiring skills that would match with existing job opportunities through the ‘EdoJobs portal’.
He stated: “We are happy for what Nigerian Bottling Company is doing. I think it is a laudable initiative aimed at addressing the unemployment challenge. I believe if youths that fall within the age range of 20 to 32 years, who make up 65 per cent of Nigeria’s population are assisted to discover and improve their talent, Nigeria will become better for it.”
The governor further noted that as companies help in developing the youths’ entrepreneurial skills, his administration has set up policies which ensure that they can take full advantage of such skills, and create the atmosphere where the youths can achieve and attain a better future for themselves.
Also speaking during the workshop, Public Affairs and Country CSR Manager (East/Central), NBC, Mr. Ekuma Eze, urged participants to take advantage of the unique opportunity which the initiative has provided by developing brilliant business ideas that would attract funding and create opportunities for business.
Eze expressed the company’s appreciation to the Edo state government for creating the enabling environment to assist the youth in discovering and harnessing their talents, noting that it would go a long way to tackle the scourge of unemployment in the country.