CALABAR — The Cross River State Government has announced plans to tackle youth unemployment and underemployment through skills acquisition, paid internship opportunities and partnerships aimed at improving young people’s access to jobs and enterprise development NEGROIDHAVEN can report.
The Commissioner for Youth Development, Barr. Odum Ijom Ukam, disclosed this on Monday at a World Press Conference organised to mark the 2026 International Youth Day at the Nigeria Union of Journalists Press Centre, Calabar.
Ukam said the government was shifting its youth development strategy from one-off empowerment programmes to sustainable interventions that would equip young people with practical skills, workplace experience and opportunities to become job creators.
He said the approach was anchored on the “Skills in the Hands” programme, which was designed to equip young people with practical skills and create pathways through which such skills could translate into sustainable livelihoods.
According to him, skills acquisition must be connected to real economic opportunities to prevent trained youths from becoming frustrated or leaving their skills underutilised.
“We must put practical skills in the hands of our young people and create pathways through which those skills can translate into livelihoods,” he said.
The commissioner also identified paid internships as another intervention being adopted by the government to address the difficulty young graduates face in securing employment because of lack of work experience.
He described the situation as an “experience paradox”, where employers demand experience from graduates who have not been given opportunities to acquire it.
Ukam said the state’s internship interventions would provide young people with practical workplace experience, professional competencies and networks capable of improving their prospects for employment and entrepreneurship.
He said youth development should not only focus on what young people were taught but also provide opportunities for them to apply the knowledge and skills acquired.
The commissioner further disclosed that the state was strengthening its partnership with development organisations through its collaboration around the United Nations Nigerian Jubilee Fellowship Programme.
He said the programme provided young Nigerians with opportunities to acquire valuable work experience through structured internships, adding that the partnership exposed Cross River youths to professional environments and the demands of the modern labour market.
Ukam stressed that government could not address the challenges confronting young people alone, calling for increased participation by the private sector, financial institutions, development partners, civil society organisations, universities and professional bodies.
He urged businesses to provide internship and apprenticeship opportunities, while calling on investors and financial institutions to support youth-led enterprises.
“We need more businesses willing to provide internships. We need more institutions willing to support apprenticeships. We need more investors willing to finance youth-led enterprises,” he said.
The commissioner said the state was also concerned about youth unemployment, underemployment, limited access to capital, digital exclusion, skills mismatch and inadequate entrepreneurial opportunities.
He said the government’s response would be guided by an approach that prioritised skills development, employment, entrepreneurship, innovation, partnerships and youth participation in governance.
Ukam said young people should no longer be regarded merely as beneficiaries of government programmes but as partners capable of contributing to policy formulation, implementation and evaluation.
He said the state government would continue to create platforms for youths to contribute ideas, influence decisions and participate meaningfully in the development process.
The commissioner also urged young people to acquire relevant skills, build professional networks, develop themselves, innovate and take advantage of legitimate opportunities provided by government and other stakeholders.
He said every young person who acquired a marketable skill, secured decent employment, established a viable enterprise or developed an innovation contributed to the productive capacity of the state.
Ukam appealed to the media to continue highlighting the achievements and challenges of young people while holding stakeholders accountable for their commitments to youth development.
He said the ministry’s objective was to build an inclusive and sustainable youth development framework that would create pathways from training to decent work and encourage young people to become job creators rather than job seekers alone.
