The skills acquisition and empowerment programme sponsored by Senator Austin Akobundu for youths and women of Abia Central Senatorial District has ended.

 

The programme which took place at the Kolping Events Centre, Umuahia, ended on Friday with over 80 participants drawn from all the 62 wards in the senatorial district. They were trained on paint manufacturing and cosmetics production in the 5-Day intensive training programme.

 

Senator Austin Akobundu, had earlier on Wednesday, visited the training centre for an on-the-spot assessment of the programme and was taken through the training process by the trainers while the participants also demonstrated strong practical knowledge of the skills they were acquiring as they explained with enthusiasm the step by step activities for manufacturing the products.

 

Friday was the climax of the programme as the participants were presented with certificates of participation and a cash sum of N200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand Naira) each to support their endeavours.

 

Senator Akobundu urged them to apply the necessary discipline needed to start small.and grow big as he looks forward to them emerging as giants in their respective industries. He promised to continue to monitor their progress and render advisory support where necessary.

 

Speaking after the event, the trainees expressed gratitude to the Senator for his focus on empowering the youths and women of his constituency through life-changing skills like the ones they just finished acquiring, a phenomenon they admitted was consistent with his campaign promises. They further submitted that it has always been a better option to teach people how to fish rather than just give them fish, and appreciated Senator Akobundu for not just giving them fish but also teaching them how to fish.

 

Describing the Senator as a statesman who has the next generation at heart, the trainees promised to make the best use of the opportunities given them to become competitive entrepreneurs, having been turned from job seekers to job creators through the skillsacquisition and empowerment initiative..

 

While praying God to keep blessing him, the participants promised to continue to support his aspirations as they believed that he has proven beyond every doubt that their future is best secured with him.

 

Among those present during the closing ceremonies were a former member of the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Stanley Nwabuisi, a former Commissioner for Intergovernmental Affairs, Prince Obinna Okey, former Chairmen of Ikwuano LGA, Chief Clement Onukwue and Chief Stephen Mpamugo, a former Chaitman of Ikwuano PDP, Dcn Obioma Igwe, a former Deputy Chairman of Ikwuano LGA, Pastor Ekeleme Ikeije, a former Senior Special Assistant to the Governor, Dr Ugochukwu Ezeribe among others.

 

This skills acquisition and empowerment programme is only one among several others that Senator Austin Akobundu has sponsored so far. Recall that in October 2024, Senator Akobundu sponsored another set of Abia youths and women in paint making and cosmetics manufacturing and also gave them cash awards to support their start-ups. As at then, he had already sponsored nine other skills acquisition and empowerment initiatives which included those on highly competitive ICT and ICT-related fields: UI/UX, web design, Professional graphics design, cyber security systems and operations, digital marketing, forex trading, software development and data science. Others that were designed and executed for secondary school students were, embedded systems engineering, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI).

 

Others include sponsorship of youths and women in sewing and farming with new sewing machines and other start-up kits gifted the participants; scholarship for several undergraduates; sponsorship of 113 constituents on a fully-funded scholarship to the National Teachers Institute (NTI) to be trained as qualified teachers for both gainful employment and improvement of quality teaching in the state, among other similar initiatives.

 

Senator Austin Akobundu has reiterated his commitment to continue to empower youths and women of the constituency in order to arrest the scourge of unemployment and restiveness among them.

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