The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN) has commenced training 90 unemployed youths in fashion, leather work and hairdressing in Taraba.

Olawale Fasanya, the agency’s director-general, said this at the opening of the National Business Skills Development Initiative (NBSDI) programme in Jalingo on Monday.

He said the programme aims to support Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the most practical way.

Mr Fasanya, represented by Funto Babarinde, Head of Enterprises in the agency, said SMEDAN had developed the programme to provide entrepreneurship skills, vocational skills, and empowerment materials to fill the capacity gap of the youths.

He also said the programme was designed to enhance youths’ engagement in productive ventures.

He said the initiatives would bequeath the youth with the capacity to earn income by filling the artisan gap in Nigeria.

Mr Fasanya said that the programme had been implemented in all the states of the federation, including the FCT.

He said 3,330 entrepreneurs had been impacted with entrepreneurship skills, vocational skills and empowerment equipment at the rate of 90 per state and the FCT.

Mr Fasanya advised participants to take the training seriously as a window of opportunities to end poverty and unemployment.

Solomon Musa, a participant, said the training would go a long way in positively impacting the Nigerian youth’s lives.

Another participant, Halima Inuwa, described the initiative as a great strategy for reducing youth restiveness in the state and Nigeria at large. 

(NAN)