The Kano office of the Agro Processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Support (APPEALS) project has commenced the screening of 303 people with special needs, who expressed interest in the programme.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the empowerment programme is a collaboration between the Federal, State Governments and the World Bank, aimed at encouraging self reliance.
Speaking at the venue of the six-day screening, the APPEALS’ State Coordinator in Kano, Alhaji Hassan Ibrahim, said the exercise was to ensure that it is the real people with special needs who benefit.
He added that after the screening, the qualified ones would be invited for an interview and the successful beneficiaries would be given training and capital to establish their chosen businesses.
Ibrahim explained that APPEALS was expected to empower the beneficiaries in nine value chain produce, which include rice, wheat tomatoes, cashew, ginger aquaculture and cocoa.
According to him, not long ago over 41.000 forms were collected, filled and 32,000 were returned.
“Out of the target beneficiaries, five to 10 per cent of them will be people with special needs, who have the criteria required to qualify for the programmer.”
According to Ibrahim, the exercise will last for six days untill all the expected youths and women that expressed interest across the 44 local government areas in the state were screened.
In his remark, the Sarkin Kutaren Kano, Alhaji Isyaku Mohammad , said the gesture will go along way in alleviating the sufferings of people with special needs in the state.
He appealed to the beneficiaries to make good use of the support, which is targeted at ensuring that the vulnerable in the communities were self reliant .
The screening exercise was attended by people with disabilities from the 44 local government areas of the state. (NAN)
