Enugu fair: Minister urges youths, women to take advantage of NDE skills trainings
- NDE
By Stanley Nwanosike
Enugu, March 21, 2020 (NAN) Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Mr Festus Keyamo, has urged youths and women to take advantage of skills acquisition trainings of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to develop themselves and the grow the nation’s economy.
Keyamo, represented by Mr Alfred Hoomlong, Director Inspectorate of NDE, made the call in Enugu on Saturday at the NDE Special Day at the ongoing 31st Enugu International Trade Fair.
The minister noted that youths and women should participate in various agricultural and agro-allied trainings ongoing nationwide as well as benefit from the soft and single-digit loans in these programmes.
According to him, this will make them key into the agricultural transformation programme of the Federal Government and become big time and successful farming and agro-allied businessmen and women.
Keyamo said that the NDE was currently being repositioned to drive all government skills acquisition and employment creation platforms for a sustainable economy as well as Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) growth.
“The NDE is collaborating with local and foreign organisations to continue to train thousands of Nigerians yearly especially women and youths on various viable and self-reliant skills.
“It has not only trained these number of people but provided linkages to small single-digit loans or at times start-up tools/machineries as well as small capitals for the graduated trainees.
“The directorate is also focusing on skills that can create more SME businesses and the NDE-trained can also become an employer of labour as well as train others too,’’ he said.
The minister lauded the Enugu Chamber of Commerce for putting up a successful fair even in the face of economic uncertainties.
Earlier, President of the Chamber, Chief Emeka Nwandu, said that the NDE was critical to job creation and growth of SMEs in the country.
Nwandu called on the Federal Government to give the agency a pride of place in all job creation initiatives.
He, however, extolled the NDE for believing in the Enugu Trade Fair and yearly exhibit her programmes and services at the fair.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ongoing fair, which started on March 13, would end by March 23 at the Trade-Far Complex, Golf Estate, GRA Enugu.
This year’s fair theme is: “Advancing the Growth of SMEs through Corporate Governance for Rapid Economic Development’’. (NAN)
KSN/ECN/IAA
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Edited by Emmanuel Nwoye/Isaac Aregbesola