FG targets 2.5m jobs through LEEP

The Federal Government said on Thursday that the Labour Employment and Empowerment Programme (LEEP), a flagship of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, has the potential to create at least 2.5 million direct and indirect jobs in Nigeria.

The government explained that LEEP aims to achieve zero hunger, zero poverty, economic growth, and decent jobs through six strategic initiatives: the digital skills initiative, vocational entrepreneurship skills programmes, infrastructural upgrade, NELEX upgrade for employment acceleration, global remote work initiative, and labour compliance enhancement.

Speaking at the program’s launch in Abuja, the Minister of State for Labour, Rt. Hon. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, urged development partners such as the World Bank, GIZ, the European Union, UNIDO, and the Bank of Industry to support the current administration’s efforts to alleviate the hardships that Nigerians were facing.

Insisting on the eradication of poverty in the country, the Minister stated that her ministry has numerous mechanisms that, if activated, could address all of Nigeria’s most neglected concerns. She stated that six of the eight agendas under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda are overseen by the labour ministry, and that it was time to take purposeful action and think outside the box to make life more meaningful for Nigerians.

The Minister expressed optimism that within four years, about one million employment would have been produced through LEEP. According to Onyejeocha, “We are at a point where we need to reposition the labour ministry. The world is going towards technology and digitalisation, and we don’t want to fall behind.

“We can’t do it alone; thus, we need to collaborate with you to assist us flourish in the country. During his campaign, Mr. President made it clear where he planned to take Nigeria. Today, we want to be deliberate and exact in our approach to the renewed hope agenda, and we want to ask for your aid in meeting our key performance indicators.

“The ministry’s goal is to decrease, if not eliminate, poverty through employment creation. If we produce enough decent jobs, we will be able to alleviate many of our current challenges, including insecurity.

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“We aim to safeguard Nigeria’s food security, regulation, and labour welfare. Also, empowerment is vital, therefore we will see make a concerted effort to provide people with the resources they need to start their own businesses and become employers of labour.