The World Bank has budgeted 420 million U.S dollars (about 61 billion naira) under its Growth and Employment in States (GEMS) program to generate more than 100,000 new jobs in Nigeria, the News Agency of Nigeria reported on Friday.

Onno Ruhl, the World Bank Country Director, made the announcement on Thursday in Abuja when he led the bank's officials on a courtesy visit to Minister of Commerce and Industry Achike Udenwa.

He said out of the amount, the Department for International Development (DFID) of Britain would be supporting the program with 100 million U.S dollars (about 14.5 billion naira).

Ruhi said the bank would give 2 million U.S dollars (about 290 million naira) to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to support the development of industrial clusters in the country.

According to him, the program is to assist in employment generation in four sates, Kano, Kaduna, Lagos, Cross River and the Federal Capital Territory.

Ruhi said he is very impressed by the economic development in the country in the last 10 years, especially in the rural areas.

"But the kind of jobs that industry will provide have not increased, and that is our concern,'' he added.

The program is expected to be completed in one year, with DFID as the internal consultant to the project.

A review meeting on the project will be held in June this year.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2009)