The Edo State Governor,Senator Monday Okpebholo has reiterated his administration plan in creating job opportunities that will enable young persons in the state to work, innovate, invest and prosper within the state.
The Governor said this in Benin City while speaking at the opening of the Edo Youth Impact Forum 2.0.
Represented by his Deputy Rt. Hon. Dennis Idahosa,he called on Edo youths to believe in themselves and remain committed to their goals, assuring them of the state government’s determination to create an enabling environment for their growth and development.
Okpebholo said his administration is working towards building an Edo State where young people would have access to opportunities to develop their talents, secure employment, establish businesses and contribute meaningfully to the state’s economy.
Also speaking, the Edo Youth Impact Forum 2.0 Team Lead and Special Adviser to the governor on Finance, Investments and Revenue Generation, Kizito Okpebholo, explained that the initiative was conceived following a directive from Governor Okpebholo to create a youth empowerment programme that would be different from conventional interventions.
He said the governor had specifically challenged him to develop an initiative capable of providing meaningful opportunities for young people in the state.
The Commissioner for Youth, Charity Amayaenvbo, said the Edo Youth Impact Forum was designed to bridge the gap between talents and opportunities, ideas and capital, as well as ambition and mentorship.
Amayaenvbo urged participants to actively engage with the opportunities available through the two-day programme and leverage the connections and knowledge gained to advance their careers and businesses.
The high point of the second edition of the Edo Youth Impact Forum (EYIF 2.0) was the announcement and presentation of portions of a ₦40 million startup grant pool, which included ₦5 million naira allocated to five winners in the top growth-stage ventures whose pitch were impactful while five other participant received Two point five million naira each.
The Edo Youth Impact Forum 2.0 featured a ₦40 million naira grant pool distributed across 10 outstanding youth-led ventures spanning Seed, Growth, and Scale categories, with individual startup grants reaching up to ₦10 million.