The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) said it has engaged 1,850 Nigerians in intensive skills development along goat production and its value chain.
The agro-preneurship scheme which was executed in two phases, was meant to serve as a source of income to the beneficiaries and accelerate livestock production in Nigeria using the revolving model of empowerment.
In a statement issued by the NDE’s head, information department and public relations, Israel Adekitan, the director-general of the directorate, Abubakar Nuhu-Fikpo, stated that the empowerment programme was among federal government efforts towards curbing unemployment especially among the youths and women groups.
According to him, participants were trained in the management of goat housing, breeding techniques and methods, prevention and diseases control, artificial insemination, natural mating, processing and packaging of goat meat, marketing of goat products including meat, milk, skin and waste.
He stressed that the empowerment will play important role in the socio-economic and environmental lives of the farming communities in income generation and supply of food for the local population.
The DG noted that through the training scheme, participants will be able to improve their livelihoods, reduce rural-urban migration, provide raw materials for leather manufacturing industries, enhance protein intake for the populace, reduce poverty and create wealth.
He said, “Three states from each of the 6 geo-political zones in the country and the FCT were selected for the first phase of the empowerment exercise while 50 people, mainly youths and women were recruited for the exercise in each of the 36 states and the federal capital territory”.
