PIND connects Niger Delta youth to jobs, careers
More than 200 young people from five Niger Delta states have been linked with employers, mentors, training providers and enterprise-support organisations as the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) marked the 2026 International Youth Day.
The event, held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, centred on “Empowering Youth Through Career Pathways for Economic Development and Sustainable Peace in the Niger Delta”, under the International Youth Day theme, “Youth Empowerment for a Sustainable Future.”
*L-R: Shalom Abilo, Deputy Director and Bayelsa State Manager, SMEDAN; Blessing Chukwuka, Curator, Warri Hub Global Shapers; Patrick Ekpe, Youth Employment Pathways Manager, PIND Foundation; HRH Theophilus Moses, Chairman, Board of Trustees, KEFFESO HCDT; Prof. Ogaga Augustine Aghoghovwia, Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Niger Delta University; and Bruce Lucas of Olotu Square Innovation Hub at PIND’s 2026 International Youth Day event in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa
More than 200 young people from five Niger Delta states have been linked with employers, mentors, training providers and enterprise-support organisations as the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) marked the 2026 International Youth Day.
The event, held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, centred on “Empowering Youth Through Career Pathways for Economic Development and Sustainable Peace in the Niger Delta”, under the International Youth Day theme, “Youth Empowerment for a Sustainable Future.”
Young people from Bayelsa, Abia, Delta, Edo and Rivers states participated alongside representatives of government agencies, private companies, academia, technical and vocational institutions, Host Community Development Trusts and development organisations.
The forum moved beyond conventional youth empowerment discussions by connecting participants directly with opportunities in information and communication technology, agriculture and agribusiness, renewable energy, construction and technical trades, hospitality and the digital economy.
Through a Career Opportunities and Support Fair, participants were introduced to available jobs, internships, apprenticeships, mentorship schemes, training programmes and enterprise-support initiatives.
PIND Executive Director, Sam Daibo, said effective youth empowerment required more than skills training, stressing the need for systems that connect learning with sustainable economic opportunities.
“Young people do not need training that ends with a certificate. They need pathways that connect learning to jobs, markets, mentorship and enterprise opportunities.”
Daibo added that when young people were able to build sustainable livelihoods, they contributed to stronger local economies and more peaceful communities.
The event also featured a “Voices of Impact” session, where beneficiaries of PIND’s Youth Employment Pathways programme shared their experiences of moving from skills acquisition to employment and entrepreneurship.
PIND Youth Employment Pathways Manager, Patrick Ekpe, said the success of the initiative would be measured by the practical outcomes generated after the event rather than attendance figures.
He said participants were expected to leave with useful contacts, applications for opportunities, mentorship placements, internships and concrete plans towards employment or entrepreneurship.
Ekpe said PIND would follow up on commitments made by participating employers, mentors, training institutions and development organisations to determine how the connections made at the event translate into jobs, apprenticeships, internships, mentorships and enterprise support.
A panel session, “From Learning to Earning: Connecting Youth to Real Economic Opportunities,” examined employer expectations, workplace readiness, alternative career pathways and the role of youth employment in promoting sustainable peace.
The forum also highlighted opportunities in the cassava value chain through PIND’s Women and Youth Economic Empowerment for Sustainable Livelihoods project, as well as employment and entrepreneurship prospects in Nigeria’s expanding renewable-energy sector.
Participants were also introduced to PIND’s NDLink platform, which provides access to job and career-development opportunities beyond the event.
For a Bayelsa participant, Otobotekere Cephas, the forum provided practical direction and connections that are often missing from conventional empowerment programmes.
He said the event helped him understand the skills employers require and identify organisations and individuals he could immediately follow up with in his area of interest.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Bayelsa Education Development Trust Fund, Prof. Ebimieowei Etebu, said the state government, through the fund, supported education at all levels to provide young people with a strong foundation and enable them to compete with their peers elsewhere.
Etebu said other states had begun studying the fund’s model for possible adoption.
The Bayelsa State Coordinator of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria, Shalom Abilo, commended PIND for its youth empowerment initiatives.
Abilo said PIND’s programmes aligned with SMEDAN’s mandate and underscored the value of the existing partnership between the two organisations.
