The Institute of Empowerment and Strategy, an international organisation operating in Nigeria, has announced plans to create two million jobs annually by adopting empowerment programmes for entrepreneurs. It noted that its drive towards empowerment and job creation was enshrined in the memo and articles of association that established the IES when it was registered in August last year by the Corporate Affairs Commission.
Speaking during the inauguration of the state coordinators of the IES in Abuja, the Director-General of the institute, Dr. Boniface Afifia-Oru, stated that with the support of the organisation's international partners, IES would key into the implementation of the National Economic Empowerment Development Strategy.
According to him, the NEEDS focuses on building 20,000 units of affordable houses across the country, creating and processing integrated agricultural programmes, expansion of tertiary institutions and distribution of economic empowerment materials.
"The full implementation of these programmes will no doubt create over two million direct jobs, which will make a significant impact on the growth of the economy as well as empower three million Nigerians in their various economic activities within the next 24 months,” Afifia-Oru said.
He stated that the objective of the institute was to train and develop experts in skills, technologies and methodologies of imparting knowledge so as to enhance job performance.
"It is also our objective to facilitate skills acquisition, self-reliance with international best practices, and to train entrepreneurs through workshops and seminars. We liaise with relevant bodies and agencies to promote the concept of national economic empowerment so as to ensure the success of true development and intervention at communities," Afifia-Oru added.
Acknowledging the feat achieved by the government in growing Nigeria’s economy to become the largest in Africa, the DG stated that the achievement had not yet brought significant change to the lives of Nigerians in terms of an increase in the per capita income.
"The IES is an international organisation established to intervene in the economic development of Nigeria and African countries. We have come on a rescue mission to complement the efforts of the Federal Government to change the tide of impoverishment to empowerment, joblessness to wealth creation, and unequal status to strategic position," he noted.
Source: PUNCH