From Sylvanus Viashima, Jalingo
As part of strategy to curb rising unemployment especially among the youth, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has commenced the training of unemployed youths in goat production in Taraba.
Mr Abubakar Fikpo, Director General of the NDE who disclosed this on Tuesday at the Orientation Ceremony of Small Stock (Goat) Production Training Scheme (SSPTA) held in Jalingo said that the scheme covers a total of eighteen states.
Fikpo said that the programme was an employment strategy through a revolving employment scheme targeted at generating employment for rural youths.
He said that 50 unemployed youths in each of the 18 states, including Taraba, were selected for the training in the first phase of the programme and announced that the Federal government would give loans to the graduates of the programme after the exercise.
Fikpo urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the opportunity as many more rural youths would equally benefit from the programme in due course.
According to Fikpo, “after this training, you are expected to become self employed and job creators in our labour industry”.
Earlier, Alhaji Shehu Danjuma, Taraba State Coordinator of the NDE said that the training in goat production value chain had great employment potentials capable of boosting local economies of the benefiting communities.
Danjuma said that goat production was one of the commonest small stock found within local communities informed the conception of the employment generation for unemployed youths throught goat sub sector.
“We wish you accord this programme all sense of commitment as it has the potentials to provide livelihood or employment and reduce poverty in the country” Danjuma said.