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No fewer than 300 beneficiaries of the Federal and Kano State Governments empowerment programme were issued with certificate through the Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement and livelihood Improvement Support (APPEALS) project.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 300 beneficiaries were among the 600 to initially undergo a two weeks training at the Centre for Dry Land Agriculture, Bayero University Kano (BUK).
The remaining 300 beneficiaries in the centre will commence their training from next week under the second batch.
Speaking during the presentation of the certificates on Saturday, APPEALS project Coordinator in Kano, Alhaji Hassan Ibrahim, said that this was the first batch of the 1,600 women and youths that qualified for the empowerment.
According to him, the project, funded by the World Bank trained the beneficiaries on fisheries, poultry farming and rice production.
He said: “The aim of the training was to enable the beneficiaries to learn how to manage the fund and facilities to be given to them for the empowerment.
“(It is) also to provide the potential entreprenuers with the necessary skills in their chosen value chains for self-reliance and economic development of Kano State.”
Hassan explained that the opportunity given to the beneficiaries was not only to benefit themselves, but also to ensure that others benefit through engaging them in the processes.
According to him, another 400 underwent same training at Audu Bako Bako College of Agriculture Danbatta, while another 600 would complete their training at Kano State University of Science and Technology, Wudil on Jan. 1, 2020.
He said that each of the 1,600 selected participants were expected to be given N2.5 million for the implementation of their chosen businesses.
Ibrahim explained that APPEALS in collaboration with the state government had provided professionals that would mentor, guide and follow up the beneficiaries to ensure proper utilisation of the programme.
He advised all the trainees under the empowerment programme to make the best use of the knowledge they acquired, to become self reliant and employers of labour.
The project coordinator said there was need for all the participants to take the training seriously so as to enable them to contribute to the economic development of the state and the country.
In his remarks, the Managing Director, Kano State Agricultural Development Agency (KNARDA), Alhaji Ibrahim Suleiman, said the empowerment programme would address the high rate of unemployment in the state.
He advised them to establish their business first before embarking on any other thing so that other people can also benefit from them. (NAN)
