About 1.7 million youths in Abia State have been selected for entrepreneurship training under the ‘Youth Out Loud Abia,’ to reduce youth restiveness.

Director General of Ndi-Abia, Rev. Chidi Jacob, in a statement on Monday, explained that the programme aims to mobilize, mentor, and mainstream up to 1.7 Million Abia youths as NdiAbia community development Marshals.

Jacob remarked that these marshals would be activated and empowered across every ward in the state to lead the charge in driving economic growth, innovation, and inclusive development.

According to him, the initiative is more than just a programme; but a transformative framework designed to empower emerging business ventures and foster community-driven growth across Abia State.

“Structured around the core principles of Village2Village and ward2ward citizen engagement, education, and eco-citizenship, the program is poised to significantly contribute to the state’s economy by focusing on several key sectors: the Digital Economy, Creative Economy, Agro-economy, Cultural economy, Green economy, Blue economy, and Orange economy.

“Furthermore, it aims to value-reorient Abia youths and redirect their energy away from rising restiveness and social vices such as drug abuse.

“This initiative will not only drive economic growth but will also cultivate a new generation of empowered and responsible citizens dedicated to sustainable development and transformation in our state,” he said.

“At the heart of ACCEED lies the AGILE (Abia Growth through Innovation, Leadership & Enterprise) framework,” he said.

Lead Sustainable Development Expert and Director for the ACCEED programme Victor Wilkinson Agih, assured the youths that: “This decentralized model facilitates a smart impact investment cooperative empowerment network of over 170 ward-level enterprise and community development hubs and 17,000 Startup Cooperatives.

“By leveraging these hubs, ACCEED creates opportunities for the next generation, enabling village-to-village strategic socio-economic engines of growth that are essential for sustainable development.

“Youth for Sustainable Transformation: Building the Future Today Through ACCEED, NdiAbia is dedicated to mobilizing, engaging and collaborating with community impact leaders across Abia State, empowering their voices to meet the challenge of creating A New Direction of Inclusive Growth by bridging the gap between generations

“We also call upon NdiAbia at home and abroad, corporate partners, and development agencies to connect with us and support this groundbreaking program. Your collaboration is crucial for building a sustainable and prosperous future for Abia State,” he said.