Business
THE National Directorate of Employment (NDE) says that it is providing platforms for women who have benefited from its skills acquisition training programmes to participate in local and international trade fairs.
NDE Director-General Abubakar Fikpo stated this during the opening of a training programme on shoe and bag-making for 20 unemployed women in Plateau on Tuesday in Jos.
The training is under the programme of Women Employment Branch(WEB) of the NDE Small Scale and Enterprises (SSE) department.
Represented by the Ag. State Coordinator of NDE in Plateau, Mrs Asabe Lassa, he said that the action would build their network and enable then to gain international exposure to harness their potential in business.
He said that the shoe-making and bag-making training was designed to facilitate income generating activities for women to reduce poverty among them.
He said that no fewer than 740 women would be trained on the skills across the nation, saying that the first phase would be in the 19 states in the northern part of the country, while the second phase would be the 17 states in the southern part of the country.
He said that through its various intervention programmes and schemes, NDE had created more than one million direct jobs for women by equipping them with skills and entrepreneurial trainings.
“Aside this, NDE has deliberately designed and implemented new schemes that key squarely into the micro-economic policies of the Federal Government,” he said.
Fikpo stressed the importance of women in establishing cooperative societies to enable them to access loans.
In her remarks, Lassa encouraged the beneficiaries to be serious in the training, describing it as a life-changing opportunity for them to create wealth for themselves and their families.
She urged the women to be committed and disciplined in learning the skill, as bags and shoes are always trending and a viable business.
She added that trainees would access loans at the end of the training to establish their businesses, saying that their commitment in attendance was a major criterion for it.
In her remarks, the Head of Department of SSE, Ms Chikodi Ike, said that the training would be conducted by skillful professionals who would train the beneficiaries on the rudiments of shoes and bag making.
Represented by a staff of the department, Mrs Fatima Aminde, she urged the trainees to be attentive to learn the required skills to enable them to make unique styles and designs.
Also speaking at the event, the Head of Department of SSC in Plateau, Mr Victor Otukpa, urged the trainees to be committed to learning and updating their skills, especially through the internet to be abreast with trends and to always remain relevant in the business.
Responding on behalf of the trainees, Miss Nanchin Longwen, thanked NDE for the opportunity and assured them of their commitment to learning.(NAN)
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Tags: Abubakar Fikpo Asabe Lassa National Directorate of Employment
