By Ogochukwu Isioma in Benin City
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has inaugurated the Board of Directors for the Edo State Skills Development Agency, charging the agency to promote the sustained supply of highly skilled workforce in the state.
The board chaired by Mrs. Ukinebo Dare, has other members which include; Mr. Victor Ehikhamenor; Mr. Victor Asemota; Ms. Ivie Temitayo and Osarume Akenzua.
Others are the Managing Director of EdoJobs, Mrs. Violet Obiokoro and Mrs. Caroline Ikuenobe as Secretary of the board.
The governor said the agency was set up to “provide the supply of and attract the demand for highly skilled talent in Edo State.”
He added that the vision was to go beyond job creation to unlocking the potential of Edo youths by igniting the hope within them and ensuring that they could excel on their chosen career path.
According to him, “The inauguration of the board will enable us as an administration to strengthen the programme and expand the work exponentially. We are proud of the work that the Edo State Skills Development Agency has done and we are confident about the strategy we have for the future. We are also grateful to our national and international partners that have joined their hands on the plough to promote job creation and sustainable livelihoods for residents of Edo State.
“The board is set up to focus on sustainability and expansion of the work that has been done by Edojobs across the different senatorial districts of the state in various areas such as technology, agriculture, urban and rural area inclusiveness, gender mainstreaming, job placement, institutional strengthening and so on.”
“Furthermore, this team will advise me on more ways to position the state to deliver and strengthen more job creation initiatives to be made available to youth in the state. Some international organizations that are already in partnership with the Edo State Skills Development Agency in this regard include the German Government through GIZ, IOM, Amazon, Microsoft, and a host of others,” the governor added.
Since 2019, EdoJobs has set up the Edo Innovates Hub, Edo Production Centre, Victor Uwaifo Creative Hub and Soundstage, Edo Job Centres, Edo Food and Agricultural Cluster, Ehor; and many other programmes that have been actively connecting young people to jobs and building a formidable community which has brought hope and opportunities to over 270,000 of our industrious young people.
