As the world marks the 2024 International Youth Day (IYD), the Ondo state government has reiterated its commitment to work with the private sector and development partners to build the capacity of young people in the state.
The state governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, made the disclosure at a symposium to mark the 2024 International Youth Day, held in Akure, on Monday.
Represented by his deputy, Olayide Adelami, the governor said the youths are the driving force of the economy and must be prepared to be globally competitive.
He said, “I want to reiterate that our administration is irrevocably committed to human capital development.
“Our government has concluded arrangements to explore global opportunities and partner with the private sector and development partners to build the capacity of our teeming youths for sustainable job creation”
The governor also encouraged the youths not to see Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a complex tool, noting that there are many young people and even children around the world with groundbreaking inventions.
The theme of the 2024 IYD is ‘from clicks to progress: youth digital pathways for sustainable development.
Interacting with the youths, the guest speaker for the occasion and former House of Representatives member for Ilaje Ese-Odo federal constituency, Hon. Kolade Akinjo, charged the youths to continuously push the frontiers of knowledge and find innovative approaches to solving local problems.
Akinjo lauded the governor for appointing young people to his cabinet, saying Aiyedatiwa’s style of governance was an inspiration for his joining the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The state commissioner for youth and sports development, Saka Yusuf-Ogunleye, thanked the governor for his youth-friendly policies that have positively impacted young people in the state.
Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Youth Empowerment and Job Creation, Orioye Gbayisemore, urged the youths to take advantage of youth empowerment initiatives of the state and federal governments, especially the Nigeria Youth Investment Fund.
