National Agricultural Mechanization Cooperative of Nigeria, (NAMCON) is set to create agro extension service centres in 528 local government areas across 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The scheme aims at providing direct jobs for 15 youths per local area as operators, technical staff and agro extension service staff, president of NAMCON, Dr Aliyu Waziri, declared.
He said the body prioritised five key intervention areas made up of the Nigeria Mechanized Agro-Extension Service Scheme, Women Nurturing Birds for Wealth Empowerment Program, Nigeria Agro Market Space, Strategic Skill Acquisition Program and
Farmers House, a mass housing project for farmers in rural dwellings.
He added that the cooperative society has commenced the profiling and training of about 2, 300 Katsina residents, spread across the 34 local government areas of the state.
According to a statement, Waziri, who was in Katsina, the Katsina State capital, for the inauguration of National Agricultural Mechanization Cooperative of Nigeria, in the state said the target, according to the body, is to train and empower the beneficiaries, made up of youths and women in poultry farming.
He also flagged off registration and accreditation process for applicants in the women nurturing birds for wealth empowerment program; a scheme, he said would make women financially independent, thus enhancing their socio-economic wellbeing and standing.
Waziri said: “We are happy that here in Katsina, we have been able to inaugurate the zonal, state and local government coordinators today under National Agricultural Mechanization Cooperative Society, NAMCS, programme for human-based wealth.
“This is a programme to assist the government to create jobs and alleviate poverty, and also help them curb food insecurity across the nation. We are doing this by giving a million people jobs and avenues to create jobs for themselves.
“In mechanised farming, we have a target to empower 15 million people in Nigeria in the entire agriculture value chain in 528 local government areas across the country.”
On his part, national vice president and director Planning and Operations, NAMCON, Dr. Aminu Abdul, said the programme would afford women and youths the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to the growth of the economy.
“We are here today to take another bold step towards history, towards unlocking the agricultural sector and to see how we can maximize the hidden potentials in the agricultural sector.
“This programme is strategically designed to take advantage of the opportunities that are available in the poultry business value chain, to create job opportunities for our women. You will agree with me that over 80 per cent of our women are still at home and not working, hence the essence of this programme.
“For us at NAMCON, we created this system for women who can be at home while taking care of their families and also earn money to support the family, and that is the origin of women nurturing bed for wealth. It is basically to empower women,” he stressed.
NAMCON under the “Women Nurturing for Wealth Empowerment Programme,” will train 60, 000 women and youths across the country with a target of producing 125 million birds per annum.
