The Cross River Youth Empowerment Scheme says it is set to train no fewer than 20,000 youths in the state in diverse entrepreneurship schemes.

The chairman, Kalita Aruku, who said this in an interview in Calabar on Tuesday, said that every youth would be trained in their area of strength.

Mr Aruku said that the scheme was built around seven industries that could empower Cross River youths to become self-reliant.

“This scheme is built around the creative industry, agriculture, sports, transportation, skill acquisition, small-scale businesses, and education.

“In agriculture, the youths will be adequately equipped with skills to handle poultry, piggery, fishery, and crop cultivation.

“Whether small-scale enterprise, livestock or crop cultivation, the trainees will be given start-up packs such as farm inputs, equipment and funds,” he said.

The chairman further said that in the creative industry, youths would be trained in cinematography, scriptwriting, directing, production, and acting.

“Outside the goal of youth empowerment, the scheme has the target of making Calabar a top destination in the movie industry. Our state can’t be a hub for tourism without the addition of a creative industry touch to it,” he said.

Mr Aruku said Governor Bassey Otu’s government was strongly committed to realising the goals of the scheme.

“The youth remains a central focus of the current administration’s ‘People First’ mantra. The governor is also vigorously implementing this,” he said.

(NAN)