The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has equipped beneficiaries of the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative (RHEI) Phase II in Imo State with business starter packs and vocational tools to enable them establish sustainable enterprises.
Speaking during the resettlement ceremony in Owerri, the acting director-general of the NDE, Edmund Onwuliri, said the initiative forms a critical part of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at promoting skills acquisition, entrepreneurship development, enterprise creation and inclusive economic growth.
He noted that the programme is designed not only to train unemployed Nigerians but also to provide them with the equipment needed to become self-reliant and employers of labour.
He disclosed that the directorate trained 1,001 unemployed persons across Imo State during the first phase of the initiative, while an additional 1,035 beneficiaries received vocational and entrepreneurial training under Phase II. According to him, funding limitations have necessitated the phased resettlement of successful trainees.
Consequently, 28 beneficiaries who completed the Phase II training received starter packs and business equipment at the ceremony, while the Directorate assured that more successful trainees would be empowered as additional funds become available.
“The tools and equipment you receive today should be seen as instruments for building sustainable livelihoods. I encourage you to utilise them responsibly, apply the skills you have acquired diligently, and remain focused on your entrepreneurial aspirations.
Through hard work, innovation and perseverance, you can transform small enterprises into thriving businesses that create employment opportunities for others.
The resettlement exercise will continue in batches as resources are made available. Our commitment is to ensure that every successful trainee is given the opportunity to put the skills acquired into productive use,” Onwuliri assured.
Earlier, the director of special public works, Folashade Lanre-Ogun, congratulated the beneficiaries for successfully completing the programme and urged them to make good use of the equipment provided.
In separate goodwill messages, the special adviser to the Imo State governor on local government affairs, Willie Okolie Ogwo, encouraged the beneficiaries to make productive use of their training, while the permanent secretary, Imo State ministry of information, Pauline Iwuagwu, described the programme as a laudable intervention capable of improving livelihoods and boosting the state’s economy.
The ceremony featured the inspection of starter packs for beneficiaries trained in knitting, autotronics, catering, GSM phone repairs, satellite dish installation, welding and fabrication, hairdressing, electrical installation, carpentry, plumbing, POP and wall screeding, and solar installation.
Certificates and equipment were thereafter presented to the participants to enable them commence their businesses immediately.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Chimezie expressed appreciation to the federal government and the national directorate of employment for the opportunity, assuring that the equipment received would be put to productive use in building successful enterprises.
