The Federal Government has commenced a two-week vocational training for 150 youths in Enugu State in Artificial Intelligence (AI), solar installation and fashion design as part of efforts to tackle unemployment and lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

The programme, implemented under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS), is designed to equip beneficiaries with practical skills and starter packs to establish businesses, generate income and achieve financial independence.

Coordinated by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education (TVEE), in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, the initiative is being implemented across the six geopolitical zones.

Speaking at the training in Enugu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on TVEE, Dr Abiola Arogundade, said the programme reflected President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and commitment to youth empowerment.

She described the South-East as a critical part of the intervention, saying the choice of Enugu underscored the government’s determination to ensure that young Nigerians across the country benefited from its poverty reduction initiatives.

“Our expectation is that the beneficiaries will attend the training every day, learn as much as possible and gradually begin to lift themselves out of poverty,” she said.

Dr Arogundade said the programme had commenced in other geopolitical zones, including the South-West and North-Central, adding that the government planned to extend it to other parts of the country.

The presidential aide said the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning had established a monitoring and evaluation mechanism to assess the impact of the training and ensure beneficiaries made effective use of their skills and equipment.

According to her, participants would be assessed six months after the training and again after one year to determine how well they had deployed their newly acquired skills to establish or grow businesses.

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State, represented by the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Chris-Roberts Ozongwu, commended Tinubu for the initiative, describing it as a significant intervention in youth empowerment and poverty reduction.

Mbah said the programme complemented the state government’s efforts to promote entrepreneurship, skills acquisition and economic development.

Also speaking, the Director of the Macroeconomic Analysis Department, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Felix Okonkwo, said the initiative was part of a broader shift towards sustainable economic empowerment through vocational training and entrepreneurship.

He said the beneficiaries would receive equipment to enable them to establish businesses after completing the training in AI, solar installation and fashion design.

Okonkwo argued that providing practical skills and supporting small-scale enterprises offered a more sustainable approach to poverty reduction than temporary cash assistance.

“Instead of giving people N5,000, N8,000 or N10,000 as cash transfers, we believe that equipping them with skills and supporting small-scale businesses will provide a more sustainable means of reducing poverty,” he said.

He disclosed that the 150 beneficiaries were selected through an open application process advertised on social media and radio stations.