In a bid to tackle youth unemployment in Nigeria, the World Bank has expressed its interest in partnering with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
This collaboration aims to leverage the NYSC’s 51-year legacy of deploying graduate youths nationwide, a system that has significantly contributed to the development of rural communities across the country.
The World Bank Country Director, Ndiame Diop, made this announcement during a courtesy visit to the NYSC National Directorate Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja.
Leading a team of World Bank officials, Diop commended the NYSC for its contributions to national unity, socio-economic development, and the reduction of infant and maternal mortality rates.
“The World Bank is interested in supporting NYSC in its developmental strides,” Diop said, highlighting the critical role Corps Members have played in fostering cohesion and driving progress across Nigeria.
In his remarks, Brigadier General YD Ahmed, Director General of the NYSC, welcomed the proposed partnership and praised the long-standing collaboration between the Scheme and the World Bank, which has already facilitated capacity-building programs for NYSC staff.
General Ahmed emphasized the pivotal role of Corps Members in national assignments such as elections, population censuses, immunization drives, and public sensitization campaigns.
He noted that the NYSC’s footprint extends to all 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria.
The Director General also shed light on the Scheme’s Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) initiative, introduced in 2012 to equip Corps Members with vocational skills to become self-reliant.
Over two million Corps Members have participated in the program, with approximately 600,000 successfully establishing businesses across various sectors.
General Ahmed acknowledged existing partnerships with institutions like the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Bank of Industry (BoI), Access Bank, Unity Bank, Wema Bank, and the NNPC Foundation, which provide loans to assist Corps Members in launching their ventures.
However, he pointed out that many NYSC Orientation Camps lack standard Skill Acquisition Training Centres, and the available start-up capital for Corps Members remains insufficient.
“If the World Bank partners with us, we will be better equipped to reduce youth unemployment,” General Ahmed stated, expressing optimism about the potential collaboration.
The proposed partnership with the World Bank is expected to strengthen NYSC’s efforts in empowering Nigerian youths, providing them with the tools and opportunities needed to drive economic growth and reduce unemployment.
