By Bashir Hassan Abubakar
To further enhance business acumen of women, youth and other vulnerable groups in it’s database, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) Bauchi State office today commenced two days Advanced Basic Business Training (ABT) for 540 beneficiaries under the directorate’s Extended Special Public Works Programme (ESPW).
Addressing the participants shortly before the commencement of the training, an assistant director in the small scale enterprise department at the NDE headquarters, Mr. Apochi Ubah Mathew implore the participants to utilize the opportunity of the training to learn new skills in advancing their businesses.
While wishing them well , Mr. Mathew stressed on the need for the participants to pay attention and be engaging during the training.
“You should consider yourself lucky for being part of the programme. There are so many people out there who are not as lucky and can happily exchange places with you. No doubt, this advanced training will further enhance your capabilities in making sound decisions for your businesses”, said Mr. Mathew.
The Assistant Director further urged the federal government not relent in such programs that encourage beneficiaries to be self reliant and possible employers of labour.
In his remarks, the Bauchi State Coordinator of NDE Mallam Ali Lawan Yaya said the program was put together by the Director General of NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo to among other things, harness the potential of unemployed persons through engagement in labour services and also expose them to opportunities towards improved employability after the project life circle.
Yaya further said that ,”the objective of the training is to further broaden beneficiaries horizon and expose them to life saving skills that will be beneficial to them”.
While commending the NDE DG for the initiative, Yaya said 180 beneficiaries were selected from the three geopolitical zones of Bauchi State, totalling 540, with each participant getting the sum of Sixty Thousand Naira (N60, 000.00) as a start up capital for small scale enterprise after the first phase of the training.
“I am glad to inform you that after an impact evaluation of the program, Bauchi was adjudged to be doing great.
“As a matter of fact, some of the beneficiaries have even set up small cooperative societies within their communities for their mutual benefits. Such Cooperatives engage in enterprises like cattle fattening, poultry production and other small scale businesses”, said the State NDE Coordinator.
Speaking to our correspondent, a beneficiary, Abubakar Sani expressed his gratitude to NDE saying that, “from the N60, 000.00 i got and the capacity training, I engaged in rearing domestic ruminants and reselling it at a profit. That amount has now doubled to about N160,000.00”.
Another beneficiary, Maimuna Sani Jibrin disclosed to our correspondent that she had engaged in small scale poultry production with about 30 birds and that it had multiply to over 100 birds at the moment. She said the business is assisting her in the training of her orphans. She also expressed her gratitude to NDE for the gesture and further called for the expansion of the program.
Our correspondent reports that the training will be taking place in the three geopolitical zones of the state.
