The Federal Government has inaugurated a multi-sectoral task team on the implementation of the public-private roundtable on youth employment and skills development.

The team has the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, as chairman, representative of the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP), Office of the Vice President, as alternate chairperson, and a representative of the private sector as co-chairperson.

While inaugurating the 20-man team, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Prof. Stephen Ocheni, said the Federal Government was poised to reverse the ugly trend of youth unemployment through the involvement of stakeholders in a round table on youth employment and skills development in partnership with the African Development Bank Group (AfDB).

Prof. Ocheni said, “The task team is saddled with the responsibility to convene a private sector round table engagement as an exchange platform towards the identification and financing of eight priority projects for accelerated youth employment and skills development. Further expectations are that the work of the team would key into the aspirations of the Economic Recovery Growth Plan (ERPG) of the present administration and also boost the rate of attainment of the relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country.”

He decried the country’s inability to translate youth innovations into gainful employment opportunities, wealth creation and sustainable development.