Adamawa State Government, through its Ministry of Entrepreneurship Development, has launched a four-day intensive training program for 63 women and young people from 21 local government areas, in a fresh drive to empower youth and women.
The training held at Women Development Centre, Yola, is aimed at cosmetology and home technology, which are skills that can help one to be self-employed, start a small business, or provide a service at the community level.
Among other things, the Commissioner for Entrepreneurship Development, Hammanjuba Gatugel, in his opening remarks, urged the participants to utilize the opportunity fully and treat the training with discipline and teamwork. He commended the state leadership under Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri that was leading the way and setting the pace for community empowerment through skill-acquisition.
More support came from the director-general of PAWECA, Michael Zira, who brought to the fore the vocational skills and entrepreneurship as a major driver of grassroots sustainable development. He advised them to do more than learning which is to teaching and thereby multiply the effect in their areas.
For many of the participants, the training may be the turning point of their lives from financial dependence to independence, acquiring practical skills and taking a stronger part in community development. The state's backing of such programs signals that the government recognises that skills training and entrepreneurship are their possible ways out of poverty and social mobility.
Had these attempts been kept up and coupled with access to resources, then the program may be able to help in creating a generation of youths and women who are self-reliant and can contribute to their communities through trade, services and small-scale entrepreneurship.