No fewer than 300 Abia State youths trained in agriculture have been empowered with interest-free loans by the government to boost the sector.
Governor Alex Otti flagged off the disbursement of the loans in Umuahia, the state capital, saying the government was committed to making agriculture a fulcrum of economic development and job creation.
“Additionally, it sets a foundation for a new model of empowerment designed to effectively make our people financially independent in the long run, working for themselves and adding real value to our gross domestic output,” he said.
Represented by his chief of staff, Caleb Ajagba, he announced that in the next few weeks, the government would unveil a new set of programmes to cushion the effects of the hardship in the country in the state.
Speaking earlier, the commissioner for agriculture, Cliff Agbaeze said the government intends to mainstream modern agricultural practices into the educational curriculum beginning from the basics.
Agbaeze, who said the beneficiaries were expected to train three other youths each, added that the government had set up a monitoring schedule to monitor the progress of the beneficiaries.
Responding on behalf of other beneficiaries, Chioma Onyekachi lauded the government for sponsoring the training, assuring that they would make judicious use of the facility to improve the sector.
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