By Thompson Yamput
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) on Wednesday began a five-day Capacity Training on Sustainable Agricultural Development for 50 women and youths in Kogi.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training is under the 2022 Post Sustainable Agricultural Development scheme of the NDE.
Mallam Abubakar Nuhu-Fikpo, NDE Director General, who declared the training opened in Lokoja, said the scheme was aimed at equipping participants with advanced technological know-how on rural employment promotion.
Represented by the Kogi State Coordinator, Abubakar Zakari, the DG said that the initiative was aimed at boosting food production and security in Nigeria.
“This initiative is an intervention policy of the Federal Government solely on Livestock Production, Food Processing and Packaging as well as digital marketing of agricultural products.”
The facilitator of the training programme, Mr Joshua Fagbemi, who spoke through NDE Director of Rural Employment Promotion Department, Duke Edem, said that the gesture was an intervention policy to assist unemployed citizens with the modern knowledge of agriculture practices.
The Kogi NDE Head of Rural Employment Promotion Department, Shaibu Omeiza, urged the participants to take the training very serious.
“This Programme is geared towards creating wealth and employment for the downtrodden youths and women in Kogi, which must be taken with every seriousness, ” he said.
Omeiza enjoined the beneficiaries to see the opportunity as an advantage over others toward boosting food production and security for all and to be self-reliant.
Responding on behalf of the participants, Mr Jacob Abiodun, commended the Federal Government for its numerous social investment programmes that had successfully touched lives of citizens, especially the down trodden.
Abiodun, however, expressed hope that the training would promote attitudinal change in their lives towards contributing their quota to end the menace of unemployment in Nigeria. (NAN)
