TheCable

Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna, has expressed his support for the establishment of a culture hub in the state as part of efforts to encourage creativity and talent development.

The hub is also expected to host a world-class theatre, cinema and shopping mall to boost economic activities in Kaduna.

In his remarks on Wednesday when a delegation of performing artistes visited him at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, el-Rufai said the initiative would create employment opportunities, and also have a positive impact on the state’s internally generated revenue (IGR).

“Kaduna State has a population of about 10 million people, with 70 percent of them being youth. The state government can only employ less than 100,000 into the civil service. This is why we are looking at other ways to create job opportunities for our youth to earn a means of livelihood and specialise in certain skills,’’ he said.

The governor, who explained that youth unemployment is a key factor affecting the security in the country, said talent creation was the reason for establishing the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Technology (MBIT), adding that the proposed culture hub would check unemployment in the state.

“The mandate of MBIT includes policies and programmes to encourage innovation, enterprise, job creation and economic diversification. The focal areas for this ambitious effort are to support talent and skills, which include enterprises in the technology, cultural and other spheres,’’ he said.

On his part, Ibrahim Mandawari, who led the delegation of artistes, promised “the judicious use of the proposed culture hub”.