The National Directorate of Employment (NDE), has disbursed N1.9 million soft loans to the 19 trained beneficiaries of its 2023 Sustainable Development and Empowerment Schemes (SADE) in Kano state.
Disbursing the funds on Wednesday in Kano, Director General of NDE, Malam Abubakar Fikpo, noted that the scheme was under Rural Employment Promotion (REP) Department.
Represented by the state coordinator, Malam Abubakar Yakassai,said that the empowerment program was organized to reduce the increasing rate of unemployment in the country.
According to him, the program trains unemployed youths in the agricultural value chain of activities such as production, storage, processing, preservation and packaging.
“Today we are here to flagg -off the disbursement of loans to 228 beneficiaries under the 2023 SADE.
“These prospective participants are drawn from the pool of REP trained beneficiaries in the 12 states.under this scheme , N22.8 million will be shared 228 persons to them to enable them set up and manage small scale agricultural enterprises,” he said.
The NDE boss said that the loan empowerment provides them with the required finances for enterpreneurship.
He further said that the directorate attaches very high premium on multiplier effect of the loan schemes for increased job creation.
Fikpo urged them to justify the efforts by putting in their best to succeed and repay the loan in due time so that other unemployed youths would benefit subsequently
The Director General also advised the beneficiaries to see the gesture as a rare opportunity which should not be allowed to fail.
Earlier, the director, Rural Employment Promotion, Mr Emem Duke, said the gesture, was to enable them to set up their businesses, become self-reliant and employers of labour as well as boost job creation and spur the youths to contribute to the national economy,
He explained that the exercise would go along way in reducing the number of unemployed youths in the country.
Represented by a deputy director, Joshua Fagbemi said that the aim of the gathering was also to sensitize the beneficiaries on the effective utilization of the loans which would be disbursed to beneficiaries through banks.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke to our correspondent commended NDE for the gesture and promised to use the fund for the purpose.
