LASG Donates 4 Hubs To Facilitates USAID Youth Empowerment Projects

LASG Donates 4 Hubs To Facilitates USAID Youth Empowerment Projects—The Lagos State Government has donated four hubs to facilitate and accommodate the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID)’s projects on youths empowerment.

The Genius Media Nigeria reports that USAID’s Youth-Powered Ecosystem to Advance Urban Adolescent Health projects is aimed at empowering youths with skills, social capital and resources needed to realise their full potential.

Dr Olugbemiga Aina, the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development, at the inauguration of Araromi Youth Centre, Gbagada in Lagos, urged youths to take good advantage of the training to ensure their better future.

“Youths here are fortunate to be taught life skills, vocational and leadership skills to assist them to become multi-talented and help them to take ownership of their future.

“This facility here accommodate more training centres for hundreds of youths within this community.

“With this training exercise, youths will be empowered to take positive decisions for themselves where an average youth will be able to delay pregnancy to ensure better future,” Aina said.

According to him, the boys and girls can come here to make good use of the facilities and engage themselves in the training exercise organise by the international organisations.

Aina said that the state government was using the facilities to deliver skills to the teeming youth population as the way to make impact in engaging and providing employment for youths in the state.

Also, Mrs Boladale Akin-Kolapo, the Chief of Party USAID, said that the projects adapt and scale evidence- based with high impact skill programme, which combined sports and play based activities.

Akin-Kolapo said that the programme was grouped in sessions led by Young Adult Coaches to spur healthy behaviour change and shift attitudes for more equitable gender norms.

“Coaches will deliver skills interventions at designated youth hubs, safe places for youth to seek and access family planning and reproductive health information and referrals.

“It also help young people navigate health and social services by building sexual and reproductive health knowledge and life skills,” the USAID said.

She said that the programme would improve adolescent health by increasing access to voluntary family planning services and more holistic context of youth empowerment, coupled with a deeper understanding of the challenges the adolescents face.

In her comments, Serah Akintubuwa, one of the beneficiaries of the training in Gbagada community, thanked both the state government and USAID for given the youth opportunity to determine their better future through the various programme in the centres.

“I was taught about the negative impact of early pregnancy, leadership and vocational skills to make me a multi-talented person in the future,” she said.

TGM understands that the newly inaugurated youth hub in Gbagada would accommodate hundreds of youths in the community for various trainings and vocational skills, while other centres are located in Ikorodu, Badagry, and Epe area of the state