British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Andrew Pocock has said that 60 percent of British government’s donation to Nigeria goes to the Northern part of the country.
“Indeed 60 percent of the British development assistance that we put into this country comes into the Northern Nigeria”, said Mr Pocock, adding that this is because the United Kingdom is deeply concerned about development of the region.
He disclosed this on Tuesday during the graduation and presentation of empowerment grants/facilities to 1,907 youth and women trained on horticultural skills and home based trades by Kano government held at Government House, Kano.
Mr. Pocock added that “we work very closely in particular with Kano state because we believe that the institutions of the state under the leadership of the state governor give results and the results are what we are interested in”.
“The example this state gives today is unanimously important – gathering of graduates who have been empowered on vocational training particularly in the agricultural area. It is good to see men given professions and I have to say it is particularly good to see women being empowered in this way” the envoy added.
“It is solid truth of developmental economists that where women are given a chance to own a sustainable living, the health and wealth of their families and of the communities and of the states massively improve,” he argued.
The British High Commissioner therefore congratulated the state government and beneficiaries of its empowerment programmes, expressing hope that the state will soon be able to overcome its security challenges.
Speaking during the occasion, the state governor, Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso said a total of N210 million was spent on the programmes, explaining that the beneficiaries include 500 (11th batch) youth trained on poultry farming, 400 (4th batch) trained on aquaculture, 132 (7th batch) trained on livestock, 275 (1st batch) on horticulture, 100 (6th batch) and 500 less privileged women trained on home based trading.
The governor appealed to them to make good usage of what is given to them as capital in order to be self employed and eventually employ others, thus alleviating poverty and unemployment in the society.
