Sports Ministry to Forge Working Relationship with Nestle on youth Entrepreneurship

The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Youth and Sports has reiterated its dogged commitment to its deliberate policies and initiatives to enhance the employability and digital skills of the youths, improve and deepen their entrepreneurial  capacity in line with the UN  agenda for sustainable development by 2030. To this end, the Ministry and Nestle Inc. shared similar values in  youth and sports development, that can be reinforced and implemented to achieve a productive economy.

The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare stated this when he received in audience the  management of Nestle Inc. in his office today at the Federal Secretariat.

In the course of  commending  Nestle Inc. for its level of achievements and commitment to improving the skills and employability of Nigerian youths, as well grassroots sports; the Minister, Mr Dare explained that the Ministry since his assumption of office, has accorded  and prioritized youth and sports on an even keel of development to achieve  national unity and economic prosperity for the youths.

To this end, he disclosed that grassroots sports  development is one of the pillars  in which the Ministry will use to sustain its drive of nurturing budding talents for our national teams through the reactivation of primary schools football competition and principals cup  like Nestle Milo corporate sponsorships of basketball competition initiative.

Furthermore, the Minister stated that the D.E.E.L programme of the Ministry is another proactive strategy, to expose our youths to Digital skills acquisition, entrepreneurship and employability. While stressing that it is an umbrella programme covering other lofty initiatives of the Ministry like the  Work Experience Prog.(W.E.P) and  DY.ng.  The Minister emphasized that both prog. are meant to expose the youths to skills and practical experience that would make them employable.

Expatiating, Mr Dare said that similarly, sports has received prompt attention and positive turnaround  with novel initiative of adoption campaign, adding, corporate organizations and philanthropists have keyed into it, and adopted several athletes.. This strategy, he noted, will sharpen the skills of our athletes for the 2020  Tokyo Olympics. The Minister seized the opportunity of  the visit by Nestle Inc. to beckon that it should  identify its area of interest to partner with the Government on youth and sports .

In her remarks, the leader of Nestlé Inc., Mrs. Victoria Uwadoka stated that the company has a flourishing corporate strategy/objective of improving grassroots sports development and youth empowerment programme through its technical training schools for industrialization. Mrs Uwadoka averred that these outlined  values endeared Nestle Inc. to connect and partner the Ministry.

Ramon BALOGUN

Asst.Dir. Press

For: Director, Press