NDE Begins Registration of 21,782 Unemployed Youths in Kaduna

Kaduna: The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has officially launched the registration of unemployed youths under the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative. According to News Agency of Nigeria, this Federal Government's programme aims to tackle unemployment and empower Nigerians. The NDE State Co-ordinator in Kaduna, Mr. Francis Ambianto, disclosed during a press briefing that no fewer than 21,782 youths would benefit from the initiative. He stated that the registration, which commenced on Monday, would continue until August 11, 2025, and is open to all categories of unemployed persons, regardless of educational background. Ambianto emphasized that skilled acquisition does not have barriers, making all individuals eligible, whether they are graduates, school dropouts, or have never attended school. He encouraged interested youths between the ages of 18 to 40 to register online via specified portals. Selected beneficiaries will be trained in various programmes, including Rural Employment Promotion (RE P), which focuses on agricultural training such as poultry, fishery, irrigation, and animal fattening. Other programmes include Vocational Skills Development (VSD) offering skills like fashion design and catering, as well as Special Public Works (SPW) and Small Scale Enterprise (SSE). Participants in these programmes will undergo three months of training and receive a monthly transport stipend of N10,000. Furthermore, 70 per cent of the participants will have access to soft loans after the training. NDE will also offer two additional schemes specifically for graduates: the Graduate Coaching Scheme and the Graduate Attachment Programme, with beneficiaries receiving N50,000 monthly stipends for three months. Ambianto highlighted that over 600 youths in Kaduna State are expected to benefit, urging them to seize the opportunity and apply. The names of beneficiaries will be drawn from the central portal managed at NDE Headquarters in Abuja, with selection based strictly on merit. He assured that the process woul d be transparent and inclusive, building on the success of the first phase.