ILO pledges support for employment generation in Nigeria
Guy Ryder, director-general, International Labour Organisation (ILO), has pledged commitment to deepening relationship with Nigeria through provision of technical cooperation for job creation.
Ryder stated this recently in Ethiopia when he received Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment, during the 13th African regional meeting held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The director-general accepted to visit Nigeria, a move the minister described as unprecedented as no ILO director-general had ever visited Nigeria since the formation of the world body.
He confirmed that ILO had favourably considered Nigeria’s request to set up a decent work multidisciplinary team and upgrading of ILO Nigeria office in Abuja, in view of its strategic position and contributions to International Labour Diplomacy, adding that they will also participate in Nigeria’s social security programme, an ILO initiative.
Earlier in his presentation, Ngige, solicited for continued relationship with the ILO, while appreciating the organisation’s role in the provision of technical and financial support for employment generation programmes in Nigeria.
“Closer partnership with your organisation at this material time is crucial to our nation. Our government, which is barely six month old, inherited an economy bested by myriads of challenges that need strong and focused leadership to surmount.
“We are therefore re-doubling efforts to stimulate the economy by gingering the untapped creative capacity of our people, especially the youths, through the promotion of varying range of vocational skills intended to achieve a self-reliant population.
“This has been at the heart of measures taken so far by our President, Muhammadu Buhari. Our efforts are geared towards creating a conducive environment for businesses to thrive and inject direct economic intervention measures meant to create jobs and lift our people from poverty line. The assistant of the ILO in this respect therefore is key,” the minister said.