As part of the measures to respond to the demands of the youths in Imo State, Governor Hope Uzodimma, yesterday, announced a N6 billion take-off fund for youth empowerment programme in the state.

The governor, who made the pronouncement in his third consecutive address to the citizens of the state, said the gesture was in line with his earlier promise to alleviate the sufferings of youths in the State.

He explained that N2 billion out of the N6 billion had been released for immediate kick-off of the skills and acquisitions programme for 500000 youths in the state, promising to make available the balance in the shortest possible time

His words: “The N2 billion take-off fund will be deployed for the training of the first batch of the beneficiaries of this scheme which will commence next week.

The programme will train in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Batches, an estimated number of 500,000 Imo youths in different skills acquisition programmes within the next two years, and provide them with start up capital to begin their own enterprises.”

The programme known as the Imo State Special Youth Empowerment and Intervention Programme (IMYEIP) would be supervised by the state’s Ministry of Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship.