THE North-East Development Commission (NEDC) has commenced a training programme for 30 participants from the six states that make up the North-East sub-region in continuation of its efforts at creating employment opportunities for youths in the sub-region.
The training is for artisans and scavengers in the North-East on fabrication of efficient stoves and briquette production from agricultural and domestic waste in line with the climate change and climatic condition of the environment.
The training is being conducted by a team of consultants, African Xpediant Global Vision Limited and Clean-Climate Limited, being held in Bauchi.
While declaring the training open on Monday, the Head, Environment and Natural Resources of the NEDC, Adamu M Lawan, explained that the commission embarked on the training in order to further take a number of youths out of the streets by providing sources of self- employment for them.
He said, “since the inception of the commission as you know our main mandate is to see to the development of the North-East zone. Part of the development is job creation and we have seen that there are so many graduates on the street without jobs.”
“Because there are no more white -collar jobs available any more in the country, we started thinking outside the box on what can we do. This training you are seeing, is a waste- to- wealth programme. We are trying to teach them how to fabricate energy efficient stoves which are environmentally -friendly and is acceptable all over the world,’’he said.
“The model of these stoves was initially adopted in India. The trainer here was at Kenya and he emerged one of the best in West Africa for fabrication of these stoves. So , we feel that this is a good idea and became expedient for us in the NEDC to train our people in the North-East zone so that they will be producing it and sell in order to earn a decent living. That was the concept that prompted us to organise this training”, he added.
The Head of NEDC Environment and Natural Resources called on the participants to take the training seriously and pay attention to the presentation so that they will come out better and ready to become self -employed.
“We want them to be serious and learn the process as well as take it as an opportunity because it is a rare one given to just a few of them that were selected. We selected only five from each state in the North-East subregion as you can see because at the end, we are going to give them starter packs, empower them,” he said.
The participants are drawn from Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe states.
Some of the participants expressed happiness for being selected to participate in the training programme which they said will make a positive turnaround in their lives as they will soon become self- employed and later employers of others.
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