A non-governmental organisation, Plan International Nigeria, in collaboration with Hope and Rural Aid Foundation (HARAF), has trained 293 vulnerable youths in Borno and Adamawa States on various skills acquisition as well as cash grants to the trainees after graduation.
Speaking yesterday during the graduation ceremony of the 133 trainees from Borno State in Maiduguri, the head of humanitarian programme Plan International, Mr Emmanuel Nuhu, noted that youth unemployment in Nigeria remains alarmingly high, particularly in the Northeast, where years of conflict and displacement have limited access to education and economic opportunities.
Nuhu revealed that as at 2020, the national youth unemployment rate stood at 33.3 percent, with higher figures recorded in conflict-affected states such as Borno and Adamawa.
He said, to respond to this challenge, Plan International Nigeria, with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), implemented the Livelihood Incubation Centres (LICs) under the Youth Learn, Earn and Prosper in the Lake Chad Region project.
He added that the initiative aims to build resilience, promote gender inclusion, and enhance self-reliance among vulnerable youth through skills development, entrepreneurship training, and agricultural innovation.
The programme manager of Plan International stressed that over six months (July-November and February-June), selected participants received technical and life skills training, literacy and business coaching, monthly stipends of N30,000 as transport reimbursement, and N100,000 in seed capital to establish their enterprises.
Nuhu said, “We have about 133 youths that have graduated on various skills in Borno State. They are expected to pass the skills to other youths within their communities. The rest of the 160 are in Adamawa. For Borno State, the first batch of trainees were 66, while the second batch was 66 respectively.”
One of the beneficiaries, John Michael from Simari community in Mafa local government area, said before the coming of Plan International, youths in their community did not have skills in business and agriculture, but added that after the training, they have learned how to farm and carry out businesses.
He said that apart from the N30,000 they were given as transport in each month of their six-month training, the organisation also gave them a cash grant of N100,000 for either business or agricultural ventures.
Another beneficiary, Abubakar Sadiq of Kaleri community in Mafa local government, commended Plan International and partners for restoring hope to them after years of insurgency, adding that he acquired business skill in selling of cosmetics.
“ We were given N30,000 for transportation during the training for six months and were given N100,000 each at the end of the training to start business or agricultural activities,” he said.
Amma Mala from Simari, said before the programme, she didn’t know anything about poultry farming, but said after the training she was able to start her own poultry farming with the 100,000 given to her.
“ We were given N100,000. I used N50,000 to buy chicks and N30,000 for buying of poultry feeds, while the rest was used to buy medications for the poultry farming,” she said.
