Dr Dikko Radda, the Director-General of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), says the agency has empowered 145 entrepreneurs in Bauchi State.
Radda said this during the commencement of the training of the entrepreneurs on Monday in Bauchi.
He said the exercise would cover three core areas, including catering, tailoring and hairdressing, under the National Skills Development Initiative (NBSDI).
The SMEDAN boss was represented by Dr Ibrahim Abdulmalik, the Deputy Director in charge of Engineering, Technology and Infrastructure in the agency.
He said it would support the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in a most practical way the agency developed the NBSDI.
“It is a programme designed to provide entrepreneurial skills, vocational skills and provision of empowerment materials (equipment) to fill the capacity gap among the youths.
“The initiative enhances youth engagement in productive ventures, thereby ensuring they earn income through filling the artisanal gap in Nigeria,” Radda said.
He said the initiative was designed to ensure that more professional services were provided by local and well-trained young artisans.
“It seeks to pursue a drastic reduction in the out-of-school youths and ensure that those who still rely on stipends from parents are empowered to become self-reliant,” he added.
He said the training would increase the number of formalised artisanal businesses and improve market support services by Minitries Departments and Agencies and responsible stakeholders to MSMEs.
He said the programme was organised simultaneously in the North-East states and implemented in all the states of the federation and Federal Capital Territory.
Radda said that after the training, the participants would be empowered with equipment and materials to start their chosen businesses.
In a remark, the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Hajiya Sa’adatu Kirfi, urged the participants to take the training seriously and see it as an opportunity to become self-reliant.
“The empowerment programme came at the right time, in line with Gov. Bala Mohammmed’s programmes and policies of empowering the Youth.
“The MSMEs are an important agent of economic growth because they provide more than 50 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product of developing the nations,” Kirfi said.
Responding on behalf of other participants, Hajiya Habiba Ghana, promised that they would utilise the knowledge they acquired and items given to them to improve their economy. (NAN)
