Ezeagu in Diaspora International Association has trained 267 youths drawn from Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu state with N33m skills acquisition, empowering the youths with ₦13.5 million start-up packages after completing six months of intensive skills acquisition training.
The start-up package was given at the graduation ceremony held on Sunday, September 4,2026 at the New Heaven Primary school,premises, Enugu.
The beneficiaries, who graduated from training in about 20 vocational and digital skills, including catering, baking, fashion and design, ICT, web development, solar power installation, CCTV installation, modern farming, shoe and bag making, make-up, barbing and content creation, received certificates too .
In his address, the President of Ezeagu in Diaspora International Association, Hon. Johnmary Anagolu, said the program is part of the association’s broader ₦100 million youth empowerment project designed to equip young people with practical skills that can make them self-reliant and eventually create jobs for others.
Hon Anagolu
He said the initiative was flagged -off on October 27, 2025, at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, by Governor Peter Mbah, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia.
Anagolu disclosed that more than 1,200 youths registered for the programme within 48 hours of its announcement, while the first batch comprised more than 500 participants drawn across the communities in Ezeagu.
According to him, the beneficiaries underwent six months of training under indigenous vendors, with 267 eventually graduating after completing their practical examinations and meeting the requirements for certification.
The president said more than ₦33 million was spent on the training, while another ₦13.5 million was provided as start-up support to enable the graduates to put their newly acquired skills into practice.
He disclosed that the association’s objective was not merely to train the youths but to ensure that the training translated into livelihoods, businesses and employment opportunities.
“The youths deserve better. They deserve to be trained on how to fish than giving them fish.”
Anagolu explained that the empowerment was also intended to give young people positive alternatives in their search for economic opportunities, stressing that a skilled and engaged youth population would contribute to peace and development in Ezeagu.
He added that the association had put monitoring mechanisms in place through coordinators, local organising committees and training vendors to ensure sustainability and follow-up with beneficiaries.
Anagolu disclosed that his wife, Osodieme Anagolu, had also pledged additional support for the beneficiaries.
The association’s president appealed to the Enugu State Government to support the second batch of the programme, expressing the association’s determination to expand the scheme and make it an annual or bi-annual initiative capable of reaching more youths.
He said Ezeagu in Diaspora’s interventions cover youth empowerment, education, security, agriculture, infrastructure and poverty alleviation. He said the association had supported community security with equipment and paid WAEC and NECO fees for 30 indigent students.
Anagolu added that the association was promoting modern agriculture, including plans to expose selected youths to farming practices in Brazil. He commended Governor Peter Mbah’s interventions in Ezeagu, particularly road infrastructure, Smart Green Schools, Type-2 Primary Healthcare Centres and the revival of the Enugu United Palm Produce Company.
He called for stronger collaboration between the state government and the diaspora association, while urging the beneficiaries to become employers of labour and train others within a year. He also appealed to community leaders to encourage youths to embrace skills acquisition as a pathway to self-reliance and employment.
In his address, the Governor of Enugu state, Dr Peter Mbah, who was represented by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Diaspora Matters, Hon Olangwa Ezukwu, expressed satisfaction with the quality of products and services displayed by the graduates.
SPA Diaspora Matters, Olangwa Ezukwu
Ezukwu said the programme was close to the governor’s heart, noting that the state government had monitored the initiative and would continue to encourage Ezeagu in Diaspora to empower more young people.
She urged more people to support the association’s efforts in equipping youths with skills that could translate into sustainable livelihoods.
In his speech, the chairman of the occasion, Dr Nnamdi Ozor, Managing Director of Tribute Hotel, described the empowerment as an important investment in the local economy, saying beneficiaries would become self-reliant while money generated from their businesses would circulate within their communities.
Dr Nnamdi Ozor
Ozor called for support for the graduates in web development and other digital skills, stressing that empowering young people would strengthen the economy.
“If you empower people, the money circulates and you will build the economy. We need to support them to make life better,” Ozor said.
One of the beneficiaries, Ude Chiamaka from Obelagu -Umunna, who trained in catering, said becoming a baker had always been her dream.
She thanked Ezeagu in Diaspora and Anagolu for providing the opportunity for her and others to acquire practical skills that could help them build their own businesses.
Chairman of the occasion, Dr Nnamdi Ozor says it’s better to teach people how to fish than giving them fish.
Another beneficiary, Igbokwe Blessings Stella , who trained in baking and catering, expressed gratitude for the opportunity, saying the participants successfully completed their training and examinations.
A web design graduate, Chidubem Samuel, also thanked Ezeagu in Diaspora for investing in the youths and giving them an opportunity to acquire digital skills.
Highlights were the presentation of certificates and start-up packages to the beneficiaries.
