NDE trains 96,000 unemployed youths in one year —DG

The Director General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Dr. Nasiru Ladan Mohammed has hinted that the Directorate has recruited and trained over 96,000 unemployed youths, including women in various vocational skills in the last one year.

Dr. Nasiru, who was speaking at the NDE special day at the 2019 edition of the Kaduna International Trade Fair in Kaduna, urged unskilled and unemployed persons to take advantage of the numerous opportunities available through the programmes of the NDE to create jobs for themselves and for other Nigerians.

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He disclosed that the Directorate has commenced documentations that will allow it give loans of up to N10 million to 5000 youths in each state of the federation.

According to him, a large percentage of the 96,000 beneficiaries of the NDE schemes in the last one year were trained in cosmetology which requires less training period, less expensive starter packs and minimal working capital as well as immediate market for their products

He said 13000 of the graduates of the cosmetology training have been resettled with necessary equipment and start-up capital.

He said: “In our efforts to ensure that the majority of its trained beneficiaries have access to start-up capitals for their businesses, the Directorate has collaborated with the CBN in its Agric, Small and Medium Enterprise Investment Scheme (AGSMEIS).

“Arrangements have been made for 5000 NDE trained beneficiaries per start to access loan package of up to ten million naira. Documentation is currently on-going in the 36 states of the federation and the FCT pursuant to this.

“The skills for job (S4) component of Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO), which is a tripartite arrangement between the World Bank/Federal Government and the states that is being implemented by NDE has recorded a lot of success.”

The scheme which started with the seven (S4) active states (Bauchi, Kogi, Niger, Ekiti, Oyo, Kwara and Cross River) has now been extended to Osun, Ondo, Yobe, Borno, Taraba, Adamawa, and Gombe.

“Arrangements have been put in place for 7 new states to commence the programme . A total of 2,500 unemployed youths benefited in the first pilot training programme.

“I wish to assure you that the NDE will continue to strive to provide sustainable solutions to the mass unemployment challenges of Nigeria within the limit of resources available to it.”