By Ayo Alonge [email protected]
As part of its drive for promotion of startups in the country, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has commenced the first batch of training and empowerment of youths under the entrepreneurship and vocational components of the National Business Skills Development Initiative (NBSDI).
In a recent statement from the Corporate Affairs Unit of the agency, SMEDAN stated that “a total number of 1015 youths will be trained in personal and business vision, business plan, identification of business opportunities, selling and marketing strategies, accessing business finance, customer care and legal regulatory issues.
“To make up for the 1,015 beneficiaries, 145 persons were drawn from the Northwest zone, comprising Sokoto, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kaduna and Zamfara states.”
The statement further highlighted that the vocational training to be impacted on the youths are fashion design and tailoring, leather works, photography, hair dressing, block/brick making, GSM repairs, makeup and tilling.
Also speaking, the Director of Enterprises Development and Promotion of SMEDAN, Monday Ewans, explained that “the programme is one of the agency’s capital projects aimed at imbibing the spirit of entrepreneurship and empowering the youths of the country”.
He said the Agency was determined and committed to training Nigerian youths for them to be self-reliant. He added that the vocational skills and empowerment was an added advantage as SMEDAN will do all in its power to train and empower Nigerian youths.
He commended the Director General of SMEDAN, Dikko Radda, for mobilising the needed support for the initiative, which, according to him, has gone a long way in impacting positively on Nigeria youths.