Unemployment: US delegation visit Nigeria to access areas of assistance
By Ukpono Ukpong, Abuja
A United States delegation led by the Regional Administrator, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Kurt Petermeyer has visited Nigeria on a mission of skills and facilities assessment to determine the areas of possible assistance.
Kurt Petermeyer disclosed this in Abuja, when he led a delegation from the United States Department of Labor to meet the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige.
The minister who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, William Alo, appealed for assistance from the United States in tackling the unemployment challenges bedeviling the country.
Ngige expressed optimism that the assistance from the United States to upgrade the skill -acquisition centres in the country would be of immense benefit to Nigeria, as it would enhance job creation.
Listing such crimes as child labour, forced labour and other ills as fallouts of unemployment, he stressed that the repositioning of the skills -acquisition centres in the country would create more employment opportunities for the unemployed youth and others.
While acknowledging the United States as a long-standing dependable partner to Nigeria, the minister said “the United States intervention would help to reduce the crime rate among the youths, as many of them would get off the crime track when employed.”
He noted that the visit was a follow-up to an earlier visit where Nigeria had sought assistance from the United States on the upgrading of the country’s skill -acquisition centres and on other areas that would help reduce unemployment in the country.
