In a bid to combat mass unemployment in the country, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Osun State has empowered 22 youths in the state with N2.2 million through its agriculture programmes to enhance food security and boost the economy of the nation.
The programme anchored by the Rural Employment Promotion Department of Osun NDE made provision for orientation, disbursement of the Agricultural Enhancement Scheme (AES) through which each beneficiary was given N100,000 as a starter pack.
The director-general of NDE, Mallam Nuhu Abubakar Fikpo, in his keynote message delivered by Mr. Fakunle Julius, Osun State coordinator yesterday in Osogbo made it clear that the disbursement was a budget for Agricultural Enhancement scheme (AES) for NDE trained youths and women in the state.
Fikpo stated that the major aim of the programme is to boost productivity, generate employment generation for youths, capacity building and as a multiplier effect on Employment in fulfilment of the directorate mandate.
He said the agricultural sector being the basket food of every given economy and as a feedback to the industrial sector is highly loaded with vital variables to bring notable positive change effect through job generation and job creation.
The director-general noted that the need to promote the sector informed the One-day workshop after disbursement of the soft loan repayable with interest rate of nine per cent within a period of three years with moratorium of six months grace were made.
In her goodwill message, Mrs. Beatrice Oruoyehu, representative of the drector REP Department NDE Headquarters, admonished the beneficiaries to make judicious use of the loan and ensure repayable in due course.
We’ve got the edge. Get real-time reports, breaking scoops, and exclusive angles delivered straight to your phone. Don’t settle for stale news. Join LEADERSHIP NEWS on WhatsApp for 24/7 updates →
Join Our WhatsApp Channel