Kaduna, 19 February, 2024 / 3:16 pm (ACI Africa).
Archbishop Matthew Man-Oso Ndagoso of Nigeria’s Kaduna Archdiocese is advocating for youth empowerment in the West African nation.
In his 2024 Lenten Season Message, Archbishop Ndagoso says empowering young people with “relevant skills” will afford them dignified lives and help address the harsh economic times in the country, with over 70% of the people living below the poverty line.
In the face of high levels of unemployment, underemployment, and no hope of adequate job creation by the government, the Nigerian Catholic Archbishop says that “the sure way to go is to empower our teaming youth with relevant skills that will not only make them self-employed but also employers of labor in their respective communities and thus give them the dignity that belongs to every human being, mindful of the fact that self-reliance gives dignity.”
“Giving young people relevant skills is empowering them and in a way helping to secure their communities because making them self-employed is ipso facto making them stable members of their respective communities and therefore stakeholders,” Archbishop Ndagoso explains in his Lenten Season Message published on February 17.
He underscores the need to prioritize technical education, saying, “In our quest for economic empowerment and capacity strengthening for self-reliance and community resilience, technical education that makes the youth employable should and must be given priority attention.”
