Delta Eyes EU Support To Boost Job Creation Agenda

THE Delta State Government has disclosed its readiness to scale up its job creation agenda through partnership with the World Bank and the European Union, especially in the area of funding.

The Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Festus Ovie Agas, said this yesterday in Asaba, when officials of the World Bank and European Union Implementation Support Mission to Delta state visited him.

Hon. Agas said that the Okowa-led administration placed high premium on job and wealth creation and noted that the State Employment Expenditure For Result (SEEFOR), intervention was aligned to the SMART Agenda of the present administration.

He said that the SEEFOR project had created employment for over 5,000 youths, while more than 70 communities have benefitted under the community- Driven Development Social Component with over 120 people having access to socio-economic infrastructure.

The SSG listed the state government’s achievements under the state Integrated Financial Management Information System (SIFMIS) to include installation of converged infrastructure, reconstitution of SIFMIS implementation team and reviewing of legacy SAP licence to a more sustainable 10 years agreement with the state saving over 8.3 million dollars.

He said that the state was on track towards project development objectives and congratulated the World Bank on its position as Africa’s number one and world’s number two disbursement score card in the 2017 financial year.

The leader of the team, and also, the tax Leader, SEEFOR, World Bank, Mr. Ismaila Cessay, said that the visit was to support the state in order to achieve set goals.

Mr. Cessay said that SEEFOR was completely aligned with the project of Delta State to provide employment for the people through job creation.

He said that SEEFOR would continue to partner the state government in the best interest for stability to enhance development and listed the activities of SEEFOR to include road maintenance, promotion of good environment and the enhancement of skills for the youths, adding that SEEFOR was for support of four Niger Delta States.

Earlier, the state SEFOR Project Co-Coordinator, Mr. Benson Ojoko, explained that SEEFOR’s mission was to support the state towards development, saying that it aligned with the project of Delta State.

Present during the visit were the Permanent Secretaries from the Ministries of Agriculture, Economic Planning, as well as that of Adult and Non-Formal Education.