The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the Small & Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance job creation and entrepreneurship among corps members.
The agreement, signed at SMEDAN Headquarters in Abuja, aimed to provide corps members with access to funding and resources to develop their business ideas.
Speaking at the event, NYSC Director General, Brigadier General YD Ahmed, emphasized the importance of financial support in empowering corps members.
“NYSC mobilizes over 400,000 corps members annually and equips them with vocational skills and bankable business ideas. Providing them with start-up capital is a sure way to improve Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” he said.
On his part, the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of SMEDAN, Mr. Charles Odii, praised NYSC’s commitment to youth empowerment. He assured that SMEDAN would continue to support the Federal Government’s agenda on job creation.
Odii further disclosed that the agency planned to create 50,000 entrepreneurs annually through the initiative.
“Corps members are graduates, and if well-trained, they will not only become self-reliant but also create employment opportunities for other youths,” he added.
The partnership is expected to strengthen Nigeria’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and equip young graduates with the necessary tools to become successful business owners.
