The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has unfolded plans to deepen its collaboration with relevant stakeholders and expand its impact towards empowering more Corps Members for self reliance.
Acting Director Information and Public Relations of the NYSC, Caroline Embu disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.
Embu said the Scheme had been strategically engaging key stakeholders such as the Bank of Industry (BOI), through its Graduate Entrepreneurship Fund (GEF), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), private sector partners like SV-NED, OTNI, ASOLAR, and other development agencies.
She stated that the NYSC Director General, Brigadier General Olakunle Oluseye Nafiu disclosed this in his address at the 2025 Strategic Meeting/Debriefing of State Officers held in Abuja on Saturday.
He said these partnerships will not only ensure that Corps Members were equipped with theoretical knowledge, but they will also provide exposure to real-world business environments, enabling them to hone their entrepreneurial and leadership skills.
General Nafiu said the Scheme had formalized and operationalized these partnerships through frameworks such as the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the development of a comprehensive Action Plan by NYSC and SMEDAN.
“By joining forces with these stakeholders, we aim to bridge the gap between education and employment, facilitating a seamless transition for our Corps Members into self-employment and, ultimately, empowering them to become employers of labor.
“In this digital age, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), has become an essential tool for success in almost every sector, from e-commerce and digital marketing to tech-driven agriculture”, he said.
Speaking through the Director, Human Resources Management Department, Alhaji Ibrahim Muhammad, the Director General stated further that, NYSC would continue to prioritize the enhancement of ICT proficiency among Corps Members and Staff.
The Director, Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development Department, Mr Kehinde Aremu-Cole said NYSC SAED programme had always been the core of graduate youth empowerment and national integration, and over the years, the Scheme had continuously strived to enhance its relevance and impact.
He said the theme of the meeting; “Operationalizing Excellence: A New Framework For Corps Empowerment through Policy Innovation, Efficiency and Sustainability”, was a call to action for all SAED Schedule Officers to think beyond the traditional approach of doing things and explore innovative ways to promote efficiency, sustainability and empowerment.
The Director tasked SAED Schedule Officers to improve the quality of service delivery and ensure that the NYSC SAED Programme is not only meeting its goals but also exceeding them.
“NYSC SAED Programme remains adaptable and responsive to the dynamic needs of Corps Members as could be seen in the review of the SAED Skill Sets, implementation framework, workbook and development of curriculums among other initiatives.
It therefore calls upon us to critically examine and refine our policies, focusing on innovation, efficiency and sustainability”, Aremu said.
