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FG To Collaborate With Mastercard Fund To Create Job Opportunities For Nigerian Youth
Joel Ajayi
The Federal Government has disclosed its intention to collaborate with the Mastercard Foundation Fund for Resilience and Prosperity to create job opportunities for the Nigerian youths focusing on men, women, people living with disabilities, and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
The Honourable Minister of Youth Development, Dr. Jamila Bio-Ibrahim made the disclosure when she received the Grants, Finance, and Risk management officer of Mastercard Foundation Fund, Abraham Jeff Ndambuki, who paid her a visit in her office in Abuja.
The Minister said the Ministry is focusing on priority sectors of the Federal Government which are Agriculture, Climate Adaption, Digital Economy, Blue-economy, Mining, and Renewable Energy so as to establish young people in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
She expressed the preparedness of the Ministry to partner with the Mastercard foundation and advised that participants for the programme should be selected in clusters so that each participant can leverage on the advantage of the others within the same cluster. She posited that this approach would provide greater opportunities for more young entrepreneurs to benefit from the fund.
The Minister promised to provide the foundation with a database of young people who will be beneficiaries and will ensure that the businesses are sustainable and successful.
The Minister further said, *”We are also in the process of designing a framework for the Youth Development Bank. The Youth Investment Fund is in the review process. We want to improve and expand on this programme. We will operationalize the fund. We are well open to ideas on how we can work together and collaborate on those Government priority sectors.”
In his presentation, the Manager Grants, Finance and Risk for the Mastercard Foundation Funds for Prosperity and Resilient, Mr. Ndambuki revealed that the programme had been implemented in 20 African countries, and the Federal Republic of Nigeria is one of them.
He said, *”We have engaged 35 different stakeholders including government officials and the private sector, the programme is in its second phase, the first phase was completed last year, and it lasted for ten years. It was valued at 50 million dollars, and we succeeded in disbursing the entire 50 million dollars across 8 countries.”
Ndambuki further said, “The foundation has come with a second phase and increased the amount to 126 million dollars, which is equivalent to approximately 194 billion naira in today’s rate. The organisation said it would last for the next seven years, so we are now in the first year which is the preliminary stage, that is why we are performing the visibility market research to identify and understand the Nigeria markets.”
He stated that Nigeria is the organisation’s central focus, adding that their presence in the country is to try to identify the key stakeholders they need to partner and engage with as they start the programme this April.
News
PSIN Administrator Commends Yobe Government for Championing Leadership Continuity and Institutional Sustainability
Cyril Igele
The Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN), Barrister Imeh Okon, has applauded the Yobe State Government for its strong commitment to leadership continuity and sustainable governance through strategic investment in human capital development.
Barrister Okon gave the commendation at the opening of a Management Retreat for Yobe State Permanent Secretaries, held at the PSIN headquarters in Abuja.
The retreat, themed “Succession Planning, Leadership Continuity, and Institutional Sustainability in the Yobe State Public Service,” convened senior bureaucrats and resource persons to discuss strategies for strengthening leadership and governance within the state’s civil service.
In her remarks, the PSIN Administrator praised Governor Mai Mala Buni for his foresight and partnership in prioritizing public sector training and capacity development. She described the theme of the retreat as both “timely and visionary,” emphasizing that institutions endure only when leadership is continuous, knowledge is shared, and systems—not individuals—drive performance.
“Institutions thrive not merely on structures or policies, but on the deliberate cultivation of capable leaders who can sustain progress across generations,” she said. “By prioritizing leadership continuity and institutional resilience, Yobe State is leading by example.”
Barrister Okon reiterated PSIN’s mandate to build a competent, ethical, and innovative public service capable of delivering tangible results to citizens. She stressed that effective succession planning must be anchored in continuous training, mentorship, and exposure to emerging governance trends.
Citing best practices from Singapore and the United Kingdom, Okon noted that successful public service systems deliberately identify and nurture potential leaders through structured talent pipelines and transparent career development programmes. According to her, Yobe State’s initiative reflects its readiness to sustain excellence in governance.
She also highlighted PSIN’s flagship programmes—SMART-P, which builds administrative and technical capacity; LEAD-P, designed to groom emerging leaders; and the Exit from Service Masterclass, which prepares officers for life after service. Okon urged the Yobe Government to adopt the Exit Masterclass into its human resource framework to ensure a smooth transition for retirees, preserve institutional knowledge, and promote productivity through entrepreneurship and consultancy.
“Succession planning is not an event but a culture that must be institutionalised at every level of public administration,” she added. “When we prepare successors in advance and invest in continuous learning, we guarantee the sustainability of reforms and consistency in governance.”
Declaring the retreat open, the Acting Head of Service of Yobe State, Alhaji Abdullahi Shehu, reaffirmed Governor Buni’s commitment to building a results-driven and high-performing public service.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Public Service, Alhaji Shehu, the Acting Head of Service expressed gratitude to God and lauded PSIN as the “mother institution of public service learning.” He stated that Governor Buni has consistently directed the Office of the Head of Service to promote seamless succession planning and capacity building to enhance efficiency and accountability across government institutions.
“In line with this directive, we have brought the top echelon of the state civil service to PSIN—being the drivers and core implementers of government policies and programmes—to strengthen continuity and sustainability in our reforms,” he said.
He urged participants to fully engage in the retreat, share experiences, and cascade the knowledge gained to officers across ministries, departments, and agencies. The exercise, he explained, forms part of a deliberate strategy to institutionalize effective succession planning within the Yobe State Civil Service, thereby ensuring sustained productivity and improved service delivery to citizens.
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