The Special Assistant to the Governor of Ebonyi State on Documentation, Dr. Boniface Nwankwo, has said that the administration of Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru is committed to removing Ebonyi youths from the streets and equipping them with sustainable skills to end the cycle of street hawking across major Nigerian cities.
Dr. Nwankwo made the statement on Monday, during a media briefing in Abakaliki, where he highlighted the Governor’s recent initiatives to address youth unemployment and informal trading through structured economic programmes.
According to Nwankwo, Governor Nwifuru has taken a bold and strategic approach by launching a multi-billion-naira empowerment programme that targets street traders and hawkers of Ebonyi origin. As part of the programme, each identified trader is being empowered with a sum of ₦2 million to support their transition from informal street trading into formalized, skill-based enterprises.
“His Excellency, Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, has proven once again that he is not only people-oriented but visionary. His intention is clear: to relaunch the active population of the State who make their daily bread on the streets into more meaningful and productive ventures,” Dr. Nwankwo stated.
A cornerstone of the initiative is the establishment of an Industrial City in Izhiangbo, Ohaukwu Local Government Area, which was officially flagged off on April 29, 2025. The facility, described as the first of its kind in the Southeast geopolitical zone, will host an integrated manufacturing system alongside a Smart Skills Training Centre dedicated to equipping youths with practical skills.
The skills to be taught include carpentry, woodwork, plumbing, tailoring, welding, fabrication, shoemaking, photography, fishery, piggery, animal husbandry, floriculture, leatherwork, pottery, and software design, among many others. Trainees will undergo intensive instruction and practical learning, with accommodation and feeding provided for the duration of the programme.
“The idea is not just to train, but to equip. On graduation, each trainee will be settled with a workshop within the Industrial City and provided with tools and startup capital to begin their trade immediately,” Dr. Nwankwo explained.
He added that the Industrial City will only trade in goods and services produced by the resident technicians, thereby boosting the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR) and stimulating local industry.
Nwankwo emphasized that the initiative also seeks to correct the negative profiling of Ebonyi youths as street hawkers, noting that many of them engage in hawking due to lack of opportunities rather than choice.
“When this programme takes full shape, the narrative of Ebonyi youths being hawkers in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt will end. It is a strategic and well-thought-out economic reintegration,” he said.
The initiative, he noted, is expected to serve as a model for other Nigerian states in search of sustainable solutions to youth unemployment and informal trading.
He concluded by reaffirming the Governor’s commitment to youth empowerment and economic transformation, stating, “Ebonyi under Governor Nwifuru is setting the pace. Other states will soon be coming here to learn how to empower their people.”
The Industrial City project and associated empowerment programmes are scheduled for phased implementation over the next 18 months, with thousands of Ebonyi youths expected to benefit.
