Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Officials of the World Bank and the European Union (EU), on Thursday, rated the Delta State Government high in the implementation of the State Employment and Expenditure For Result (SEEFOR) projects in the state.
The global bodies said they were impressed with the success stories of SEEFOR programmes in the state, and urged the state government not to relent.
Speaking in Asaba during a courtesy call on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa by officials of the World Bank, EU and the Federal Government, the team leader, Mr. Brar Parminder lauded the Okowa administration for ensuring that the SEEFOR projects are succeeding.
Governor Okowa on his part thanked the World Bank for partnering with the state, even as he called for spirited efforts to get youths engaged as a measure to check restiveness and criminal tendencies in the country.
Okowa said there were still big gaps in the country, adding that partnering with the private sector “as a state, we would be able to find other means to attend to the gaps that are still existing in the area of youths unemployment.
He explained that peace and security would be sustained in the state if the issue of youth unemployment is satisfactorily addressed.
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The governor disclosed that getting the youths engaged was in line with his administration’s commitment of making youths job creators through the different youths employment and wealth creation programmes.
“We are happy with the partnership between World Bank and the European Union, we are happy that the youth empowerment components is working in Delta State as over 700 youths have been trained and empowered through this partnership and they are on their own. We hope that this collaboration will continue to improve by the day,” he stated.
While noting that his administration has spent a lot of money to ensure the empowerment of youths, Okowa stated that youths are also working hard to achieve results as “the price of hard work is to continue to work harder.”