From Nabob Ogbonna, Abakaliki
Not less than 2,500 youths in Ebonyi state have been trained in Vocational Skills Acquisition Programme, Agriculture and lifted from street trading within 28 months of governor Francis Nwifuru’s led administration.
These Vocational Skills Acquisition programmes were: tailoring, ICT, auto-mechanics, welding, catering, and carpentry.
governor Nwifuru dropped this hint yesterday during this year’s Nigeria Independence anniversary/ 29 years of the Ebonyi state Creation, held at New Government House, Abakaliki the state capital.
He added that the programmes were inline with his administration “People’s Charter of Needs” manifesto.
Nwifuru noted that each of the lucky trader under the hawkers Fund initiative, received a capital packages ranging from 2 million, 1.5m to half a million.
According to him, “we earlier launched the Hawkers’ Fund Initiative, empowering over 700 street traders with capital packages ranging from 2m, 1.5M to ₦500,000, helping many of them transit into shop owners and small business operators.
“Also, through the Vocational Skills Acquisition Programme, over 1,500 youths have been trained in tailoring, ICT, auto-mechanics, welding, catering, and carpentry.
“In this area we disbursed start-up kits and grants worth over 2 billion naira to ensure that their training translates into businesses and jobs,”he stated.
“In the area of agriculture, the governor said that 300 youths and farmers have been trained the state integrated farming model, noting that the beneficiaries were selected from the 171 existing wards in the state .
“In agriculture, 300 Ebonyi youths and farmers have been trained under the Integrated Farming Model.
“These beneficiaries comprise all the 171 electoral wards in the state and other select beneficiaries, equipping them with skills in aquaculture, crop processing, livestock, and agro-entrepreneurship.
“Our Nkaliki Hatchery is now functional while our Feed mill industry is progressing satisfactorily,” he stressed.
It could be recall that Ebonyi state was created in 1996 under the late General Sani Abacha led military regime.
