The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has announced plans to train 3,650 residents of Katsina State in various skills under the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative.
The programme launched in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, aims to combat unemployment through skill acquisition and empowerment.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony in Katsina, the director general of the NDE, Silas Agara, represented by the Katsina State coordinator, Hadi Mamman, highlighted the programme’s objective of equipping citizens with practical skills for self-reliance.
According to Mamman, the initiative targets individuals from diverse backgrounds across Katsina State, including school leavers, women, tertiary graduates, retirees, and persons with disabilities.
The initiative is designed to provide training in vocational skills development, small-scale enterprises, rural employment promotion, special public works, and ICT and digital skills.
A significant number of beneficiaries will undergo ICT training to prepare them for the demands of the global digital economy. Mamman noted that this deliberate step is aimed at ensuring youths are globally competitive and equipped with emerging technological skills.
Beyond training, participants will be provided with tools, equipment, and startup capital to enable them to establish their own businesses. Those not immediately resettled will be linked to credit institutions for additional support.
The NDE expressed appreciation to the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs for supplying starter packs to beneficiaries and acknowledged the contributions of its technology partners, Skill Paddy and Timetrest Limited, in the ICT training segment.
The programme is part of a larger nationwide initiative targeting 93,731 unskilled and unemployed individuals across Nigeria, reaffirming the government’s commitment to reducing unemployment and promoting self-reliance.
