Amnesty programme empowers over 2,000 beneficiaries in SMEs

Tue, Jun 18, 2019 | By publisher


Youth

THE Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has empowered no fewer than 2,187 already trained beneficiaries in small and medium scale business enterprises (SMEs) across the Niger Delta region.

Prof. Charles Dokubo, Coordinator PAP, disclosed this in a statement issued by Mr Murphy  Ganagana, Special Assistant on Media, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Dokubo said that over 110 vendors and contractors were engaged by the Programme through execution of business contracts on various businesses and trades.

He said that the various trade included wood and carpentry, fish farming, commodity shop, building materials, building and construction, fashion designing, hair dressing, catering, timber mill, event management, restaurant and bar.

“Others were rental service, bead and knitting, creative art work, foodstuff sale, provision store, electronic materials sale, electrical materials sale, music production, poultry, mini distributorship, block moulding, baking, confectionery, tiling and interlocking.

“ICT, cybercafé, welding, fabrication, film making, cinematography, cassava milling, barbing salon, kerosene sale, auto spare parts, supermarket, auto mechanic, agricultural farming and marine transportation, among others.”

He also said that a total of 800 delegates were currently receiving vocational training in various skills facilitated by qualified contractors with a duration of six months.

According to him, the trade areas include welding, aluminium fabrication, oil and gas power system, abrasive blasting, scaffolding and rigging, mechanical fitting, industrial painting, greenhouse farming, fashion designing and tailoring.

Others, he listed, were leather works, ICT, poultry farming, fish farming, installation and maintenance of tricycles as well as ice cold engineering and fabrication.

The coordinator further said that plans have been concluded to fast-track the training and certification of more beneficiaries as well as exploring job placement opportunities for them.

“Niger Delta is now known for peaceful development because there is no development without security.

“Amnesty Programme is now into more of training so that our beneficiaries can develop a skill after being trained and then work.

“We are now focusing on getting jobs for some of those we have trained and that is the last aspect of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, the reintegration phase,” Dokubo emphasized.

He said that the Job Placement unit of the Amnesty office has intensified profiling of qualified beneficiaries for possible jobs, saying that 60 beneficiaries were recently profiled for employment in the nation’s public sector.

Dokubo has also approved the inclusion of the Nigeria Agricultural Enterprise Curriculum (NAEC) trainees as resource persons for Amnesty Programme.

“After approving office set up component of the project for implementation across the nine Niger Delta states following the DFID-funded Market Development in the Niger Delta (MADE) project.”

He said that the project facilitated the training of 20 delegates in Uyo, Akwa- Ibom State recently, through the Nigeria NAEC. (NAN)

– June 18, 2019 @ 17:29 GMT |

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