Benue Gov’t partners Google, Bill Gates to train youths in ICT
By Bridget Ikyado
Benue state government has commenced the training of 10,000 youths in Information and Communication Technology, ICT.
Governor Hyacinth Alia who made this known in Makurdi said that the state government was carrying out the training in partnership with Google and Bill Gates Foundation.
The Governor added that the essence of the programme was to better the lot of the youths and thereby reduce the burden of unemployment in the state.
He noted that the government would at the end of the training of the first batch of beneficiaries, increase the number of the next batch of trainees to 20,000 and more.
The Governor said “we began the programme of training 10,000 youths who are interested in ICT. What this is going to do is that one, it is going to better their lives, they are going to get instant jobs because it is a very intensive ICT programmes.
“We have aligned and collaborated with some foreign companies, Google and all that, who have accepted to do this. Google and Bill Gates and a few others who are in the cohort.
“After this training, I’m 100 percent sure that 10,000 youths are going to get their own jobs and that is going to reduce the burden of unemployment on myy shoulders. That being a litmus test, it is going to continue right after the first graduands.
“Once these batch leave we are going to have another and the next batch would be 20 or 30 thousand. We are going to have the machinery in place to do that.”