YESSO: Abia to partner world bank on Youth support program

Posted by FN Editor | 5 years ago | 1,520 times



The Abia State government is set to partner Workbank on the Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO) Project. 

YESSO is a programme aimed at strengthening the state level social safety net systems and reducing the vulnerability of poor youth and women through increased access to work opportunities and promoting human capital development.

The state focal person, Mr. Endi Ezengwa made the disclosure on Thurday during a press briefing in Umuahia. 

Ezengwa stated that YESSO was introduced in 2012 by the World Bank in collaboration with the Federal Government to support federal and state government efforts to improve the lives of the poor and vulnerable in the society. 

"we have a coordinating unit that is in charge of strengthening the social safety net system; ensuring that there is a community development or target-based mechanism used to identify where these communities are mobilised.

" The Planning Commission is in charge of data capturing while the E4E office will be implementing the program. Our objective is to infuse more young people into SMEs. There are two components of the program; The public Workfare and the Skills for Job.

"In these various components, we'll ensure that different categories of participants, ranging from skill acquisition to doing menial jobs among others are paid stipends not less than N7,500 monthly through their various bank accounts," he stated.

Six(6) Local Governements have been shortlisted for the pilot phase of the project. He listed them as follows; Ukwa East, Ugwunagbo, Isialangwa North and South, Ohafia and Umunneochi.

Speaking further, Ezengwa noted that Abia state is the only Southeast state that qualified for the project owing to the successes recorded with the Education for Employment(E4E) program. 

For states to benefit from this programme, it must show interest, commitment and be ready to pay a counterpart fund of 10 per cent of the total costs, presently, only 15 states are benefiting across the country. Having qualified for the project, Abia makes it the 16th. 

He added that orientation program will commence next week for the beneficiaries from each senatorial zone. Abia state university, Amapu-ntigha stadium and Aba Stadium are the venues for the various Zones.

 YESSO aims to reduce poverty and promote work opportunity through public workfare, skills for job and targeted grant transfer programmes.


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