Anambra State has disbursed N3.5 billion to 8,300 youths under its 1Youth2Skills Plus scheme.
Governor Soludo said the program builds entrepreneurs and aims to make Anambra a skills hub.
The Anambra State Government has empowered 8,300 young people through the second phase of its 1Youth2Skills Plus program, with N3.5 billion shared as grants to support their businesses.
The initiative, which provides training in agriculture, ICT, fashion, crafts, cake making, and other sectors, is part of Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s plan to create opportunities for youth and raise new business owners.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony in Awka, Soludo said the program was introduced in October 2022 to fulfill his pledge of producing 1,000 youth millionaires every year. He described the project as a sustainable way of building skills and supporting entrepreneurship.
“We have disbursed N3.5 billion in grants to support their business dreams. Our goal is to make Anambra the skill hub of Sub-Saharan Africa,” the governor stated, urging beneficiaries to “start small, start now, and think big.”
He added that more funds had also been set aside through the Anambra Small Business Agency to provide loans for interested participants.
Commissioner for Youth Development, Patrick Aghamba, noted that the scheme is already changing lives, while Chairman of the program, Prof. Chinedu Onyeizugbe, said the initiative has grown stronger with a 48 percent increase in participation.
Some beneficiaries testified that they have become employers of labour through the skills and support received.
The first batch of the program, held in 2023, trained 5,000 youths and provided N2 billion in start-up support, with many already running successful ventures.
