Group trains 200 Ekiti youths on agric value chain, hairdressing, others

To strengthen the capacity of youths to develop self-reliance and entrepreneurial skills, the Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre in partnership with Amzik Integrated Nigeria Ltd has trained 200 youths on agricultural value chain, barbing and hairdressing.

The 200 youths were drawn from all the sixteen local government areas of Ekiti State, 100 of the youths were selected for the agricultural value chains development which includes maize, cassava, poultry and fish.

The remaining 100 youths were trained and supported with starter kids to set up their businesses in the area of barbing and hairdressing.

The Director-General, Citizenship and Leadership Training Centre, Mr Jonah Bawa, said the human development and capacity building programme for the unemployed youths could not have come at a better time considering that the country has a large army of young people who are bubbling with energy and vitality and need to channel such energy and resourcefulness into productive ventures.

“As you are aware, the youths in Nigeria make up about 60% of the population and about 45% of the economically active population.

“It presupposes therefore that where these energy and vitality embedded in them are not properly managed and positively channelled, the resources could be misused and misdirected. The consequences of such are best imagined,” he said.

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Represented by the Director of Finance of the centre, Mr Oluremi Samuel Sola-Philips, stressed that the programme was an empowerment platform which seeks to train the young people in the lucrative areas of agricultural value chain development, agro-allied opportunities, hairdressing and barbing, which would promote self-reliance.

“I wish to reiterate that the government places a very high premium on the youths as an important driver of the socio-economic and political development of the country hence the need to update their skills and further reduce their dependence on white-collar jobs which are generally no longer available,” he said.

The DG appealed to the participants to take the opportunity offered by the training to acquire a skill and ultimately contribute their quota to the development of themselves and the society at large.

Dr Ahmed  Zik-Rullahi, the Chief Executive Officer of the Amzik Integrated Nigeria Ltd, the consulting firm that handled the training, called on the participants to pass on the training and knowledge gained to others.

He also appealed to the youths to use the grants given to them to promote their various businesses and not to misuse it.

Also speaking, Adekola Segun Alexander, who sponsored the youths capacity building programme, said that the programme was designed to help the young people develop the necessary skills needed to survive economically and become breadwinners in their homes.

He added that the grants were for business and entrepreneurship ventures and reiterated his commitment to uplifting youths in Ekiti State out of poverty within his limited resources.