By Brown Chimezie
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has trained 33,692 youths, women and persons living with disabilities in-demand skills in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The Director General of the directorate, Silas Agara, disclosed this at the resettlement of NDE-trained beneficiaries under the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative of the Federal Government.
Speaking in Lagos this week, the Director-General who was represented by Elizabeth Omatsola, the Lagos State Coordinator of the directorate, said that the initiative is designed to create employment opportunities, support the establishment of small-scale enterprises, promote agricultural productivity, improve rural infrastructure and provide transient jobs, which would in turn foster economic growth and empower our communities.
He said that the initiative is built on skills development, providing training and mentorship opportunities and equipping unskilled and unemployed persons with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the modern work and small-scale business environment.
Agara stated that another component of the initiative is providing beneficiaries with loan facilities, access to finance, starter packs to support the establishment of nano, micro and small-scale enterprises and work with local businesses, entrepreneurs, and stakeholders to create new job opportunities, stimulate innovation, and drive economic growth.
The Director-General said that the initiative “has culminated into the launching of resettlement of the trained beneficiaries, the goal of which is to empower participants to become not only self-employed but employers of labour,” adding that “the initiative underscores our commitment to creating a brighter future for all, where everyone has access to meaningful work and opportunities for growth.”
Also, speaking at the event, Mrs. Elizabeth Omatsola, the Lagos State Coordinator of the directorate, said the Lagos State office successfully trained unskilled and unemployed person, youths, women and persons with disabilities in vocational, agricultural, and entrepreneurial skills, as well as transient jobs and activities in the public works sector.
She stated that the job creation initiative aligns with the NDE’s strategic approach to addressing six out of the eight priority areas of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Federal Government. She thanked the trainers and congratulated the beneficiaries and charged them to take advantage of the opportunity to make themselves financially independent and employers of labour.
She urged them not to sell the starter packers, adding that they use them for the purposes they were meant for.
Omatsola asked them to work hard and be diligent in their work.
The beneficiaries thanked the directorate for training them and empowering them with starter packs to begin their entrepreneurial journeys.
Raji Idris Oluwatoyin and Razak Yusuff Idowu, two of the beneficiaries, said they will take advantage of the initiative to begin their entrepreneurial journeys and make an impact on the Nigerian economy.
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