NDE disburses N100,000 loan to 22 beneficiaries in Imo

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has disbursed N100,000 loan to 22 beneficiaries of the Agricultural Enhancement scheme in Imo State.

This followed the successful completion of their post-SADTS training.

In his keynote address to the beneficiaries in Owerri weekend, the Director General of NDE, Mallam Abubakar Fikpo said that 276 beneficiaries have been empowered under the scheme with 27 million, six hundred thousand naira in 12 states of the federation and the FCT.

The DG represented at the occasion by the Imo State Coordinator of NDE Mrs Chisara Eqwim-Chima said that the loan will enable them to set up and manage small-scale agricultural enterprises in their chosen area of interest to become self-reliant, create wealth and generate employment opportunities for others.

Fikpo said, the initiative was part of the Federal Government efforts to address the continuously rising rate of unemployment in the country, which gave birth to the establishment of the national directorate of Employment as an apex agency responsible for the sensitization, counseling and reorienting the unemployed youths to deemphasize the search for paid jobs and embrace self employment as a deliberate efforts to be self reliant.

He said: “in driving this policy, the NDE identified a plethora of demand driving labour intensive skills in technical, vocational, entrepreneurial and agricultural enterprises to close the skill gap that generally exist among the unemployed graduates and school leavers searching for job”.

He therefore advised the beneficiaries to see this gesture as a rare opportunity which should not be allowed to fail, haven trained in modern agriculture and life skill and been empowered financially through the loan scheme.

Fikpo said that the beneficiaries had being trained on mordern agriculture and life skills to be able to over come the challenges of their immediate environment, while advising them to be able to justify these efforts by putting their best to succeed and repair the loan on due time.

He said: ‘the loan empowerment provides you with the required finances for entrepreneurship, you should therefore justify these efforts by putting in your best to succeed and repay the loan in due time so they others unemployed youths will benefit subsequently”

In his speech, the Head of Department, Rural Employment Promotion (REP) of the NDE, Mr. Edem Duke said the REP is implementing the Agricultural Enhancement Scheme (AES) for the NDE Post SADTS trained youths adding that the program will creat employment and generate wealth that will go a long way to reducing the number of unemployed persons as well as enhancement business of those already engaged.

Duke represented at the flag off of disbursement of loan to beneficiaries by Mr. Chimobi Elelebe reminded the beneficiaries of the importance of their training under various REP Scheme adding that it is based on the successful completion of their training that they are granted the loan to enable them establish agribusiness of their choice.

According to him the rogram trained unemployed youths in agricultural chain of activities such as production, storage, processing and post harvest handling and management, preservation, packaging, marketing, agricultural extension and rural sociology as well as other innovative and technological driving skills in the Agricultural sector.

While thanking the DG of NDE Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo and his team for graciously approving the disbursement of the loan in 12 states of the country, he advised the beneficiaries to see the financial empowerment as an added advantage and use it judiciously for the creation of wealth and economic self reliance.

In her remarks, the HOD Rural Employment Promotion NDE, Imo office, Mrs Onyeachu Amaka advised the beneficiaries not to see the loan as a national cake reminding them that there is need to make maximum use of the loan to enable it yield dividends in the end.

In his words of appreciation to NDE , one of the beneficiaries, Mr. Uchendu Okanna thatanked NDE for the rare opportunity and promised to make good use of it to justify the essence of the programme.

The Imo NDE Coordinator, Mrs. Chisara Winefred Eqwim-Chima standing in the middle with the staff of NDE and loan beneficiaries in Imo.