The Akwa Ibom State Government is making progress towards the 2030 youth development framework through investments in skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, business financing and youth empowerment, Governor Umo Eno’s aide on Entrepreneurship Development, Meflyn Anwana, has said.
Meflyn Anwana, who also heads Monitoring and Evaluation at Ibom-LED, stated this on Wednesday, October 28 following the ninth edition of the Ibom Ignite Conference 2026 held at Ibom Hall, Uyo.
She said Governor Umo Eno’s initiatives aligned with the common minimum policy framework for youth development by 2030, which prioritises quality education, relevant skills, decent work, sustainable businesses, participation in governance, good health and inclusive development.
“It is imperative to note that the common minimum policy framework for youth development by 2030 centres on a fundamental principle: every government must pursue a coordinated approach that empowers young people to acquire quality education and relevant skills, access decent work, build sustainable businesses, participate meaningfully in governance, enjoy good health and contribute to inclusive and sustainable development. Akwa Ibom, under the leadership of Governor Umo Eno, is already achieving that”, she said.
Anwana cited the Ibom-LED programme as one of the initiatives supporting the state’s youth development agenda. She said 2,000 young people trained under the programme received start-up packages worth ₦750,000 each to help them establish businesses.
She also highlighted access to financing through a ₦5 billion counterpart fund at the Bank of Industry, equipment financing for entrepreneurs and investments in youth development infrastructure.
According to her, these interventions are intended to stimulate job creation, business expansion and revenue generation, while the ₦31 billion approved for empowerment initiatives across the State’s 31 Local Government Areas represents another investment in economic opportunities for residents.
Anwana urged participants to translate the knowledge, mentorship and professional networks gained at the conference into viable businesses.
She said the State’s interventions were designed to support young people and entrepreneurs who demonstrated capacity, discipline and initiative, adding that sustained engagement with these opportunities was essential to achieving meaningful results in youth development.
The two-day Ibom Ignite Conference, which began on Tuesday, October 27, and ended on Wednesday, October 28 had its ninth edition theme as “Reinvent, Rethink, Reimagine, Redesign and Become”, which brought together young people and business leaders for discussions on personal development, entrepreneurship and business growth.
Established in 2017, Ibom Ignite has become a platform for equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and networks needed to develop their ideas and compete in the business environment.
The Chairman of the conference’s Central Planning Committee, Imobasi Jacob, described the event as a gathering of ideas, ambition and possibilities.
The conference featured a keynote address by Apostle Joshua Selman, titled “The Courage to Become: Why Your Next Level Requires a New You”. He spoke on the mindset and determination required for personal growth and success.
John Kennedy Opara, Chief Executive of CSS Global Integrated Farms, addressed participants on turning businesses into sustainable enterprises, while Maxwell Ubah, chief executive of Strategy House Limited, encouraged young entrepreneurs to identify business opportunities in societal challenges. He cited Singapore and Dubai as examples of places that had turned disadvantages into economic strengths.
During the conference on Tuesday, Governor Eno announced plans to sponsor 100 young people for agripreneurship training at CSS Global Integrated Farms in Nasarawa State.
At an interactive session on Wednesday, the governor also urged beneficiaries of the ₦50 million Ibom Ignite business grant to manage the funds prudently, stressing that business success depended on discipline and foresight as well as access to capital.
He further proposed increasing bursary payments for students in government-owned tertiary institutions from ₦50,000 to ₦200,000, with students studying Medicine, Law and Engineering to receive ₦250,000. He said the proposed increase would take effect from the 2027 academic session if he won the February 2027 governorship election.
