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A total of 4,253 previously unemployed youths have become business owners in Delta State courtesy of the Skills Training Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP) and the Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP) under the state’s Job Creation Scheme since its commencement three and half years ago.
This figure is inclusive of the 1,180 beneficiaries of the 2018/2019 cycle of the programmes, which commenced in 2015 in fulfilment of the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa campaign promise to make Deltans prosperous.
The beneficiaries have become business owners across various enterprises such as: Information Communication Technology (ICT), catering services, event management, beauty services, agricultural production, agricultural processing, food packaging, tiling, and electrical installation, among so many others.
Governor Okowa made the disclosure in Asaba, Thursday, during the induction ceremony of the 2018/2019 YAGEP and STEP beneficiaries as well as the product exhibition by the beneficiaries of the previous cycles of the two programmes.
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He noted that the scheme had continued to bring about prosperity to the people of the state, as it had contributed to the growth of the state’s economy.
“Aside from contributing to the economy of the state, these STEPreneurs and YAGEPrenuers have become employers of labour. The multiplier effect on the economy of the state is significant,” he said.
He recalled the initial scepticism that confronted the job creation scheme, owing to the 100-percentage drop out from similar past intervention programmes, but expressed happiness at the success of the scheme.
“I’m happy to report that independent evaluation studies of the job creation programmes show that STEP and YAGEP have recorded successful success rates of between 57 percent to 66 percent across respective enterprises. These rates are among the highest you can find for any youth development and entrepreneurship programmes,” the governor said.
He thanked the beneficiaries for not disappointing him, saying that because of the success stories, he has the courage to continue with the programmes.
He expressed conviction that through the training programme, the establishment, monitoring and mentoring programme, there had been success stories. “Now that the success story and the foundation is laid, it is only important that we build on the foundation rapidly. The fear of failure is no more there,” he said.
He therefore said the state government would begin to put resources down to encourage more youths to be entrepreneurs of their own, and assured that during his second term in office come May 29, his administration would do a minimum of three times of that it was doing at the
moment.
The chief job creation officer of the state, Eric Eboh, a professor, who had presented the 1,180 inductees to the governor for their induction.
He had commended the entrepreneurial spirit of the beneficiaries, and urged Deltans to patronise those of them that were showcasing their products at the two-day job creation product flagged off January 24.
