Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has promised to grantstart-up funds as well as other forms of support tooutstanding trainees in the digital marketing and skills development workshops organised by his administration .

According to the Governor, that would help them kick-start their businesses and in turn transfer their skills to other youths to boost employment creation in the state.

Obaseki, who was represented by the Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Cooperative and Employment, Barrister Emmanuel Usoh at the workshop on Digital Marketing and Skills Development in Benin City on Monday,urged the trainees to make the best of the opportunity.

He disclosed that the Bank of Industry, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other development partners gave the state government grants to empower the participants in order to help create jobs. "Training is endless and I urge you all to take the workshop seriously as the training you receive here today will equip you and place you in a better position digitally to rule the world,” the Government said.

He emphasised that his administration placed huge premium on digital technology and assured that he would create the platform for the trainees to actualise their dreams.

He further called on the 2,100 participants, who were selected from the over 150,000 job seekers in the state jobs portal, to make use of the opportunity created by the workshop to better their lives and create jobs for others.

“It is a great opportunity to talk to you and encourage you to do what is necessary to create wealth for yourselves. In doing this, you must plan, prepare and participate fully in this training. Edo State is blessed and strategically located, and at the centre of economic activities, with the capacity to become the economic hub of the nation” Obaseki said.

He stressed that the people of the state are intelligent, creative, smart, business-oriented and can use their potentials to make the state great, adding: “We have a government well positioned to ensure that every Edo man or woman has the potential to create wealth and contribute to the development of the state.”

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire said the training, which was designed for about 250,000 youths, was ongoing across the country.

Orelope-Adefulire, who was represented by her Press Secretary, Tunde Oyasanya said one of the cardinal goals of the SDGs was to ensure that youths are empowered to reduce poverty and joblessness in the country.

Edo StateDirector of Information and Communication Technology, Yuwa Naps said the ultimate goal for the training was to make digital entrepreneur out of the participants. “This will be followed by a three-week online training for them. We are planning to invest in the exceptional participants among them and grow them into entrepreneurs that we will closely monitor” she said.

A Google-certified trainer, Elijah Otor said the participants were being trained on Digital Skill 101, which is an orientation course and an introduction to the programme.

He said they were not expected to understand all the things taught in just a day.

•Photo shows the Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Cooperative and Employment, Barrister Emmanuel Usoh, addressing some participants at a two-day workshop on Digital Marketing and Skills Development, organised by the Edo State Government in collaboration with the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), at Imaguero Grammar School Benin City, Edo State on Monday July 24, 2017.