In a strategic move to strengthen collaboration with the Federal Government and scale up innovation-driven economic opportunities in Plateau State, His Excellency, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, Executive Governor of Plateau State, has met with Ms. Chalya Shagaya, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Entrepreneurship Development.
The high-level engagement focused on aligning Plateau State’s ongoing initiatives in entrepreneurship and job creation with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration particularly as it relates to empowering Nigeria’s youth and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which account for over 90% of businesses in the country and contribute nearly 50% to Nigeria’s GDP.
During the meeting, Governor Mutfwang highlighted the work of the Plateau State Microfinance Development Agency (PLASMIDA) the state’s coordinating agency for entrepreneurship development and job creation. Through PLASMIDA, the government has facilitated entrepreneurship training programs, enterprise support services, and career placement initiatives. A flagship of the agency is the recently launched Job Centre, designed to match skilled young people with employment and internship opportunities while providing career advisory services.
The Governor also discussed the state’s ongoing collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to establish an Agro-Innovation Hub. This project is aimed at equipping young entrepreneurs and agritech innovators with the tools, networks, and funding access they need to drive value addition in Plateau’s rich agricultural sector.
In the broader digital and service economy space, Governor Mutfwang revealed plans to establish a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Centre in Jos. This center is intended to create hundreds of jobs by positioning Plateau State as a viable hub for outsourced services such as tech support, content moderation, and back-office operations taking advantage of the state’s youthful, English-speaking population and expanding digital infrastructure.
Another notable partnership is the state’s recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chocolate City Group, one of Nigeria’s leading creative enterprises. The MoU will facilitate the creation of a Youth Talent Discovery and Development Hub, which will serve as an incubator for creative and performing arts talents in music, film, and other cultural industries sectors that are increasingly contributing to national GDP and global visibility for Nigerian youth.
Ms. Chalya Shagaya, in her remarks, applauded Plateau State’s proactive leadership in driving youth-focused entrepreneurship and innovation. She reaffirmed her office’s commitment to working closely with subnational governments to catalyze the impact of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, with a focus on unlocking the potential of Nigeria’s youth population, which makes up over 60% of the country.
She noted that the Federal Government is keen on promoting inclusive and sustainable entrepreneurship through coordinated interventions, including access to finance, startup incubation, digital upskilling, and targeted support for women-led enterprises.
This engagement positions Plateau State as a forward-thinking partner in Nigeria’s national vision to build a resilient, innovation-driven economy powered by its most valuable asset: the youth.