By EMMA OBI, Calabar –
Cross River Government on Wednesday in Calabar, the state capital joined the rest of the world in celebrating World Youth Skills Day WYSD.
It would be recalled that on July 15 annually, the world celebrates WYSD to acknowledge the strategic importance of equipping the youths with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship development.
In commemoration of the 2020 WYSD, the Cross River Commissioner for Youths and Skill Acquisition, Mr. Signor Idiege said that skills acquisition was indispensable for the development of any society.
Idiege also emphasised the roles of skilled youths in addressing current and future global challenges. Theme of the 2020 commemoration is “Skills for a Resilient Youth”.
“Due to the daily global rise in youth unemployment, there is a constant need to remind ourselves of the indispensability of skills acquisition by the youths towards personal and national development”.
“The day provides an avenue for governments all over the world, private institutions, corporate organizations and individuals to acknowledge the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment and entrepreneurship development.
“I indulge the consciousness of youths towards skills acquisition irrespective of academic qualifications and societal status, skills acquisition creates wealth and propagates equitable, inclusive and sustainable economic growth. The commissioner stressed.
In an interaction with some youths shortly after the event, one, who gave his name as Donald Charles and a Director of God’s Welding Shop in Calabar said the skill which he acquired between 2009 and 2012 has been very helpful to him.
Charles said he has been “using this work to feed and sustain myself and even built a house, the business has been good to me even though there is the challenge of excessive taxation, absence of electricity for years now and poor funding to get some of the equipments required.” He stressed.
Similarly, 24 years old Joseph Unanam, proprietor of Enjoe Fashion Centre said he has been striving within the best of his abilities.
Unanam also said lack of electricity and high taxations in Cross River have been the bane to his business.
He called on “idle youths to shun pride, learn a skill and develop themselves in readiness for their future stressing that self employment is better than waiting to be employed.
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