News
NYSC to Deepen Impact of Skill Acquisition on Corps Members
By Joel Ajayi
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has unveiled plans to enhance its collaboration with key stakeholders and expand its initiatives aimed at empowering Corps Members for self-reliance and entrepreneurship.
Speaking at the 2025 Strategic Meeting/Debriefing of State Officers held in Abuja, NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu, emphasized the Scheme’s strategic engagement with various partners, including the Bank of Industry (BOI) through its Graduate Entrepreneurship Fund (GEF), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), and private sector organizations such as SV-NED, OTNI, ASOLAR, among others.
General Nafiu noted that these partnerships are designed to go beyond theoretical learning by exposing Corps Members to real-world business environments. “These collaborations will equip Corps Members with entrepreneurial and leadership skills necessary for a successful transition into self-employment,” he said.
He highlighted that formal frameworks such as Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and comprehensive action plans with agencies like SMEDAN have been put in place to operationalize these efforts.
“By joining forces with these stakeholders, we aim to bridge the gap between education and employment, and ultimately empower Corps Members to become employers of labor,” he added.
The Director General, represented by Alhaji Ibrahim Muhammad, Director of the Human Resources Management Department, stressed NYSC’s continued commitment to ICT development. He stated that in today’s digital age, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) proficiency is vital across all sectors—from e-commerce to tech-driven agriculture—and that the Scheme is prioritizing digital literacy for both Corps Members and staff.
Also speaking at the meeting, Mr. Kehinde Aremu-Cole, Director of the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) Department, reiterated that the SAED programme remains central to youth empowerment and national integration.
He said the theme of the meeting, “Operationalizing Excellence: A New Framework for Corps Empowerment through Policy Innovation, Efficiency, and Sustainability”, is a clarion call to SAED Schedule Officers to adopt innovative approaches to service delivery.
“We must move beyond traditional methods and focus on creating sustainable and efficient systems that truly empower our Corps Members,” Aremu-Cole stated.
He urged SAED Officers to improve service quality, ensure the programme exceeds its goals, and remain responsive to the evolving needs of participants.
He also noted recent developments within the SAED framework, including the review of skill sets, implementation strategies, updated workbooks, and curriculum development—designed to enhance impact and adaptability.
Aremu-Cole further advised SAED Officers to guide Corps Members on using the NYSC Integrated System (NIS), emphasizing the importance of skill selection through their dashboards for improved tracking and efficiency.
“You are expected to serve as mentors to Corps entrepreneurs—especially those who are beneficiaries of loans and grants from our partners—and as role models, inspiring active participation in post-camp training and other SAED activities,” he concluded.
News
ECOWAS Unity Will Drive Mining Investment Growth-MCO Director General
Joel Ajayi
The Nigerian Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) has emphasized that enhanced synergy within the ECOWAS region will significantly boost investment opportunities in the mining sector.
The Director-General of the MCO, Mr. Obadiah Nkom, made this known during a high-level visit by an ECOWAS delegation to the organisation on Friday in Abuja.
The delegation, led by Mr. William Baidoe-Ansah, Director of the ECOWAS Directorate of Mining and Geo-Extractives Development, comprised technical experts and national representatives. They were in Nigeria to finalise frameworks for a regional Geo-Extractive Observatory and Mining Cadastral System.
Nkom expressed optimism that regional collaboration would enable access to harmonised and verifiable data through Geographic Information System (GIS) platforms.
“The essence of the member states coming together is to ensure they have a platform that makes it easier for investors to come into the ECOWAS region and invest,” he said.
He described the visit as a welcome development, underscoring its significance in fostering regional growth and creating a more investor-friendly environment.
According to him, reforms in Nigeria’s mining sector — especially the transition to the Electronic Mining Cadastre Plus (EMC+) system in 2022 — reflect the country’s commitment to repositioning the sector and strengthening investor confidence.
Nkom noted that ongoing efforts to sanitise the mining industry, as championed by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, have already yielded tangible results.
Mr. Baidoe-Ansah stated that the mission was aimed at assessing Nigeria’s progress as a benchmark for the regional cadastral system integration.
He noted that the initial feasibility study confirmed the viability of establishing a regional geo-extractive observatory.
“We have moved beyond theory. The first feasibility report confirmed the possibility of a regional geo-extractive observatory. This second phase is about ensuring that each member state meets the baseline operational standards before full integration,” he explained.
He further commended Nigeria’s EMC+ system, which he described as transparent, accessible, and a model worthy of emulation across the region.
Also speaking, Mr. Madu Hassan Fika, Chief Geologist at Nigeria’s Ministry of Petroleum, lauded the EMC+ as a model of digital excellence and transparency in West Africa’s extractive sector.
He said the proposed regional observatory and cadastral system would provide a one-stop shop for the entire region’s mining data and licensing framework.
Other delegates stressed the importance of harmonising operational standards across ECOWAS member states to enhance regional performance and boost investor confidence. They also praised Nigeria’s strides in digitising its mining sector operations.
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