Bauchi state beneficiaries of National Skills Development Initiative (NBSDI), under the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (SMEDAN), says skills development bridges the unemployment gap in the country.
Some of the beneficiaries of the NBSDI entrepreneurship training in Bauchi, the opening ceremony of the training on Monday, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that skills Development is the best for closing the unemployment gap in the country.
Mr Lama Dauda, a beneficiary, said to stem the unemployment tide in Nigeria, the Federal Government, private sector should increase investment in various skills acquisition programmes that will aid youth empowerment and economic growth.
He said the NBSDI programme, which cuts across a wide range of vocational skills, would enhance employment growth in the country.
Dauda commended SMEDAN for the initiative to cover the 36 states and the FCT ,which would go a long way to stem unemployment challenges.
Another Beneficiary, Hajiya Habiba Gana, said entrepreneurship can generate enough employment opportunities to mitigate the rising rate of unemployment in Nigeria.
She said job creation or employment opportunities in any economy can be traceable to entrepreneurship training and development.
On her part, Malama Talatu Aliyu, a beneficiary, said the Federal Government intervention and entrepreneurship training would keep the youth out of the street.
According to her, “if we successfully complete our training, and we start our businesses definitely we will employ more hands as well as train others.
Aliyu appreciates SMEDAN for providing these skills to become self-reliant and become employers of labour in our communities.
Dr Dikko Radda, SMEDAN Director-General (DG), NBSDI was designed to ensure that more professional services were provided by local and well-trained young artisans leading to a reduction in job losses to immigrants from neighbouring countries.
Represented by Mr. Ibrahim Abdulmalik, Deputy Director, Engineering Technology and Infrastructure, SMEDAN, urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the trade items distributed to them and self-reliance.
He, however, warned the beneficiaries against selling the items provided to them. (NAN)
