FG launches GenU Secretariat to link 20m youths to jobs, skills

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has formally launched the Office of the Vice President-Generation Unlimited (OVP-GenU) Secretariat to coordinate the implementation of the programme’s activities nationwide.

The GenU Nigeria initiative is a UNICEF-led Public-Private-Youth Partnership (PPYP) programme designed to connect 20 million Nigerian youths to education, skills, and livelihood opportunities by 2030.

Speaking during the launch of the secretariat on Tuesday in Abuja, the Vice President, represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Sen. Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, said the office would accelerate programme execution and deepen partnerships across various government agencies.

In a statement by the vice president’s spokesman, Stanley Nkwocha, he explained that one of the benefits of establishing the secretariat would be proper alignment of skills with the demands of the community, industry, and society through a transparent process accessible to all.

Earlier in his remarks, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, commended stakeholders for launching the initiative in Nigeria, noting that its framework aligns with the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme (RHWDP).

While pledging his ministry’s support for the GenU programme, Sen. Bagudu noted that the initiative will help accelerate the implementation of the Federal Government’s programme aimed at stimulating local economies, targeting 8,809 electoral wards across the country.