The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) on Wednesday commenced the training of 25 graduates on agricultural intervention policies, packaging and digital marketing of agricultural products in Anambra State.
The NDE Director-General, Mallam Abubakar Fikpo, at the opening ceremony in Awka said the training was under the directorate’s Sustainable Agricultural Development Training Scheme (SADTS).
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Fikpo said the training was also aimed at providing more food, creating employment, reducing poverty and enhancing the quality of life for farmers and the society in general.
The director-general, represented by NDE’s Deputy Director, Mr Jinanwa Chukwuma, said the 25 beneficiaries had been selected for further training under the Post SADTS programme.
He said: “They will be trained for five days to acquire these unique modern technologies in agriculture and agricultural value chain.
“The programme is based on agriculture, skills acquisition, enterprise creation and sustainability strategies.
“This is because when the agricultural sector thrives, the manufacturing sector that depends on agricultural produce will also thrive.
“Hunger and poverty will reduce, economy at the centre will be healthy, inflation decreasing and the negative effects of unemployment such as engagement in anti-social vices will disappear,” he said.
In her remarks, Mrs Chika Ufelle, NDE state Coordinator advised the trainees to utilise the training to enhance their agricultural competence, make more money and become employers of labour.
In her words, “NDE has empowered many youths. Recently, 462 people were recruited and are currently undergoing training under the Basic and Advanced National Open Apprenticeship Scheme (B-NOAS).
“Under that scheme, they will be taught skills ranging from fashion designing, hairdressing to auto-mechanical.”
One of the participants, Miss Miracle Enweani, expressed gratitude to NDE for the opportunity.
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She said: “I am optimistic that the training will help me to actualise my goal which is to own a fish farm and maybe become an employer of labour and a large producer of fishes when I start.”