The Enugu state government has trained 3,000 youths and women on different skills, including food processing, packaging and preservation for local markets and export purposes.

The trainees, drawn from the three senatorial districts of the state, passed out on Monday at a formal ceremony, organised at the Enugu State Science, Technical and Vocational Schools Management.

In a speech at the event, the commissioner for human development and poverty eradication, Malachy Agbo, said that the training was organised “to reduce poverty and the unemployment rate in the state”.

Mr Agbo said that Gov. Peter Mbah promised during his campaign to eradicate poverty in the state by 2031.

He said that the training was a follow-up to the bigger programme of the administration to empower the people with life-changing skills and strategies in order to raise their standard of living.

He also said that the beneficiaries would be exposed to access to information, skills training and online marketing that would help them to harness, process and package the state agricultural products, within local markets and for export.

The commissioner urged the participants not to take their additional training for granted.

According to him, the essence is to expand their knowledge and raise their income level to reflect on their purchasing power and standard of living.

“These important trainings are the initiatives of Mr Mbah’s administration.

“They are aimed at changing your economic status,” Mr Agbo said.

He also urged them to embrace networking to be able to expand their business tentacles, with a view to harnessing the full potentials of the lucrative market.

The commissioner said that the ministry had concluded plans to empower more residents on several business skills that would enable them to earn a living and support their families.

A beneficiary, Amaka Ozor, thanked the government for the training, saying that it would help her to become self-reliant.

“We learnt a lot about food packaging, preservation and processing and I hope to be selling packaged foods in the market,” Ms Uzor said.

(NAN)