No fewer than 920 youths across the 18 Local Government Areas of Ondo State have begun training on various fields of agriculture in Akure, the state capital.
The programme was said to have been organised by the Federal Government in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the programme tagged, ‘Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises in Niger Delta ( LIFE-ND) project’, the project coordinator, Mr Ademola Olawale, explained that the project was funded by the Federal Government and the IFAD. He noted that the trainees were the second batch of the programme.
According to him, the beneficiaries would be supported in the areas of cocoa and cassava farming, as well as fishery, among other aspects of agriculture, after the training.
He said, “The 920 beneficiaries will undergo training for the next three months before being empowered and followed up to ensure success of their businesses.”
Imploring the trainees to utilize the opportunity to make living through agriculture, Adewale confirmed that the first batch of the programme recorded successes, disclosing that some of the first batch beneficiaries were already doing fine in the business.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Olayato Aribo, in his remarks, said the programme was a build-up on the success recorded in April when 260 youths from the state were successfully graduated and empowered in various enterprises of their choice.
“Today, we are building on the success recorded in April this year, when 260 youths from this state were successfully graduated and empowered in various enterprises of their choice. It will interest you to note that we do not just empower and allow the graduands to navigate the murky water of floating a new enterprise on their own, but we have fervently been monitoring and guiding them to make a success in their chosen areas of interest.
“The purpose of doing this is to ensure that aside from making a living on their own, they should also be able to become employers of labour. It is hoped that this will promote food security and equally reduce unemployment rate in the state.”
