The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has launched the registration of unemployed youths under the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative.

It is a federal government programme aimed at tackling unemployment and empowering Nigerians.

During a press briefing on Monday, the NDE state coordinator in Kaduna, Francis Ambianto, stated that no fewer than 21,782 youths would benefit from the initiative.

He stated that the registration began on Monday and would run till August 11, 2025. He added that it was open to all categories of unemployed persons, regardless of their educational backgrounds.

“Skilled acquisition does not have barriers. Whether you are a graduate, school dropout, or never attended school, you are eligible,” Mr Francis said.

He urged interested youths between 18 and 40 to register online via www.nderegistrationportal.ng or www.nde.gov.ng.

Mr Ambianto stated that selected beneficiaries would be trained in different programmes, such as Rural Employment Promotion (REP), which focuses on agricultural training: poultry, fishery, irrigation, and animal fattening, among others.

Other programmes included Vocational Skills Development (VSD), which offers skills like fashion design and catering, among others; Special Public Works (SPW); and Small Scale Enterprise (SSE).

According to him, participants in these programmes would undergo three months of training and receive a monthly transport stipend of N10,000, adding that 70 per cent of the participants would access soft loans after the training.

He explained that NDE would offer two additional schemes for graduates, which included the graduate coaching scheme, meant to train graduates to coach secondary school students preparing for the senior secondary school examination.

The other programme is the graduate attachment programme, which places graduates in organisations relevant to their fields for temporary work experience.

Mr Ambianto stated that all the beneficiaries of the graduate programme would receive N50,000 monthly stipends for three months.

He explained that more than 600 youths in Kaduna State would benefit, urging them to take advantage of the opportunity and apply.

According to him, the names of beneficiaries would be drawn from the central portal managed at the NDE headquarters in Abuja, and selection would be carried out strictly based on merit.

“The first phase worked excellently. People were admitted without knowing anyone in the system.

“We are confident this second phase will be even more transparent and inclusive,” he said.

(NAN)