CIVIL SOCIETY GROUPS GATHERS IN UYO FOR #10PERCENT4YOUTH

A cross section of CSOs, NGOs, youth bodies and pressure groups meet in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State for a Legislative Advocacy Training Workshop on #10Percent4Youth in the Niger Delta region. The well attended event was organized by Youth Alive Foundation in partnership with USAID Nigeria and PIND to strengthen the capacity of mapped youth groups/civil society organizations in Akwa Ibom State for Legislative Advocacy.

Speakers at the workshop took the participants to the different dimensions of legislative advocacy, the key concepts, strategies, tools and avenue for effective legislative advocacy. Dr Ekom Akpan of Save the Children Organization who speaks on the topic; A CIVIL SOCIETY COALITION FOR YOUTH EMPLOYMENT: A CALL TO SERVICE reiterate the need for many organizations to collaborate, discuss, network, exchange knowledge, sharpen skills, get more information to make the campaign successful.

Mr Idiuwem Okoku who is the Director of Protocol at Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly speaks on UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMICS OF AKWA IBOM STATE LEGISLATURE PROCEDURES. He took time to educate the participants on the legislative prodecures, and processes of passing a bill into law. He finally recommended for the establishment of a Skill Acquisition Management Authority to oversee the coordination of skill acquisition programs, determining the number of person to be trained and see to the disbursement of starter packs for successful trainees.

In his presentation, Dr. Emmanuel Akpanobong speaks on BUILDING AN EFFECTIVE LEGISLATIVE CAMPAIGN STRATEGIES and therefore highlighted the many strategies for the success of the advocacy campaign.

The #10Percent4Youth Campaign is initiated by Youth Alive Foundation demanding the states in the Niger Delta region to allocate 10% of the revenue from oil derivation to youth development initiatives like job creation, entrepreneurship, human capacity building, technical and vocational training, private/public partnership for job creation, etc. Akwa Ibom State which receives the highest oil revenue is the launching pad for this campaign and will be taken to all states in the Niger Delta Region. It is the hope of the organizers that more organizations should sign in for the campaign to strengthen it. At the end of the day, there will be increased in funding to support youth entrepreneurs, increased in employability and increased in job creation and job opportunities for youth in the region.

Sign in at www.yafnet.com and share the information till it reaches the last man on the remote areas of the Niger Delta region. It is our campaign and we must support it.