Nigeria’s Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment (FMITI) has partnered with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to host  entrepreneurship and career fairs that will train over 1,000 university and secondary school graduates between the ages of 18 – 35 years.

The programme which will take place at the Velodrome, Abuja on June 27 and at the Landmark Village in Lagos on July 4, will help train young Nigerians who are eager to start their own businesses.

The fair, the first of its kind in Nigeria will help facilitate job match between job seekers and recruiters. It will also showcase successful entrepreneurs and promote alternative forms of employment, including self employment.

According to a statement released over the weekend by UNIDO, young Nigerians who were eager to start their own businesses would have a chance to meet and interact with entrepreneurs and representatives of organisations, institutions and companies during the fairs.

“UNIDO and FMITI are to utilise the partnership to establish public-private knowledge sharing platforms that will allow unemployed youths to access job opportunities in local businesses and institutions across the country.’’

UNIDO said an inter-ministerial committee has been inaugurated in February by the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Samuel Ortom to this effect. It has also engaged over 15 federal ministries, departments and agencies from the public sector and more than 30 companies from the private sector.

The ministries include the ministries of Education, Labour and Productivity, Women Affairs, Youth Development. The agencies are Industrial Training Fund (ITF), National Board for Technical Education, National Committee on Job Creation, National Directorate of Employment (NDE), and National University Commission (NUC).

Others are Small and Medium Enterprises Development of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Bank of Industry (BOI) National Board of Technical Education (NABTEC), Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Manufacturing Association of Nigeria (MAN) and the Nigeria Chamber of Commerce, Cooperatives, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA).