The Coalition of Cross River State Youths (COCRISY) has called on the Cross River State Government to establish a dedicated youth investment fund to improve young people’s access to capital and support sustainable enterprise development.
The coalition made the demand in a statement issued by its Director General Etem Okimba to commemorate the 2026 International Youth Week, with the theme, “Different Contexts, Common Aspirations: Advancing The People’s First Agenda Through Sustainable Youth Development.”
Director General Okimba said access to capital remained one of the challenges confronting young people in the state and proposed the creation of a Cross River Youth Investment Fund with transparent access for all eligible youths, irrespective of their backgrounds.
The group said such a funding mechanism would complement existing youth-development interventions and provide young people with opportunities to translate their skills and ideas into sustainable livelihoods.
COCRISY also called for an expansion of technical, digital and green-economy skills programmes as part of measures to address unemployment and skills gaps among youths in the state.
According to the coalition, its proposal for the youth investment fund is part of a broader call for sustainable youth development, rather than one-off empowerment initiatives.
COCRISY said it had, in the past 12 months, facilitated skills training, grants and starter packs in agriculture, Information and Communication Technology, fashion and trades for young Cross Riverians across the state’s 18 local government areas.
The coalition also disclosed that it had awarded scholarships to less privileged and academically excellent students, supported sanitation drives and promoted youth resource centres as part of its interventions.
It said it had also established a platform to capture data on youths in Cross River, arguing that reliable data would help government improve budgetary planning and the implementation of youth programmes.
The group further called for stronger stakeholder engagement in youth development, saying it had held town hall meetings to evaluate government programmes and deepen engagement with ministries, departments and agencies, non-governmental organisations and traditional institutions.
While acknowledging the efforts of the administration of Governor Bassey Otu in youth development, COCRISY commended the government for what it described as increased youth participation in governance and the Skill-in-Hand initiative.
It said the Skill-in-Hand programme was providing young people with tools to earn livelihoods and urged the government to sustain and expand interventions targeted at youth development.
The coalition also called for the enlargement and equipping of urban development authorities across the state to support waste-to-wealth initiatives, tree planting and flood-control measures.
COCRISY pledged to continue partnering with the government and other stakeholders to promote what it described as sustainable youth development and an inclusive Cross River State.
“Different contexts, one Cross River. Different backgrounds, but one aspiration,” the coalition said, urging stakeholders to use the Youth Week to renew their commitment to peace, innovation and sustainable development.
