The Managing Director of the Edo State Investment Promotion Office, Mr. Kelvin Uwaibi, has urged Edo youths to take advantage of the several capacity-building initiatives under the Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration.
Uwaibi said that in today’s world, companies are more interested in the skills you possess than your university certificate. He cited the example of Google, Facebook, Netflix, and Amazon which he said are more interested in hiring people with coding and software development skills, regardless of their educational background.
Uwaibi also said that he is worried that youths residing in Edo state are not taking full advantage of the opportunities to make them global citizens, while other young people from neighbouring states are trooping to Edo State to take advantage of these opportunities.
“This keeps me up at night,” Uwaibi said. “I worry that if Edo youths continue to snooze, they will miss out on these opportunities and other people will take their jobs.”
Uwaibi pointed to the Heifer, Decagon, and other partnerships that the Obaseki administration has nurtured as evidence of the opportunities that are available to Edo youths. He said that these partnerships are deliberately aimed at projects and programs that the government has implemented and kickstarted since 2017.
“Look at the Edo Production Hub,” Uwaibi said. “These talents can be transferred to the Benin Enterprise Park to scale up production. There are also some being trained at Benin Technical College. So you see that it’s an ecosystem.”
Uwaibi also warned Edo youths to be wary of antagonists of the state who may try to manipulate them into creating trouble for local businesses and investors. He said that only peace will bring economic prosperity to the state, and that it is a collective responsibility for all Edo citizens to keep the state peaceful and help the government finish strong.
Uwaibi’s message to Edo youths is clear: take advantage of the opportunities that are available to you, or you will miss out. The future of work is here, and it is up to you to make sure that you are prepared for it.
