300 To Benefit From Niger Empowerment Scheme

To tackle unemployment in Niger, the state government plans to empower youths and women under its Agri-prenuer Empowerment Programme.

Three hundred youths and women are to benefit from the scheme this year. The project is a joint effort between state and Federal Government, under the National FADAMA “Support for Youth and Women Programme”.

Under the arrangement, the youth and women will be given intensive training in agricultural enterprise of their choice, with emphasis on crop farming, especially rice and sorghum.

Kicking-off the scheme in Kontagora, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello presented starter-pack seeds to 66 youths who were trained in agricultural enterprise.

Presenting N100,000 cheque to each beneficiary under the first phase of the scheme, Sani urged them to ensure judicious use of the package as well as the skills acquired from the training for development of the agricultural sector and betterment of the society.

“I am informed that this programme through FADAMA Project intervention intended to empower 300 youths to become Agri-prenuer, in addition to 10,000 direct beneficiary farmers under the Third National FADAMA Development Programme Additional Financing.”

“I am highly passionate about the issue of unemployment and our government is putting machinery on ground, particularly under the agricultural sector to address the subject matter in earnest,” the governor stated.

He praised the initiative of the organisers for their concern for youth and women, calling on other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and community-based organisations to partner the state in agricultural regeneration and community empowerment.

National FADAMA Project Coordinator, Mr. Tayo Adewumi, commended the state FADAMA office for being a pacesetter in the implementation of the fifth component of the programme, ‘Support for Youth and Women’.

Adewumi, who was represented by Dr. Gbenga Arokoyo, lauded the state for being the first to start the implementation of FADAMA III Additional Financing Programme and for establishing Agricultural Equipment Hiring Centre.

The state FADAMA Project Coordinator, Aliyu Usman Kutigi said the training, which is in phases, is being conducted with Bako Ranch Limited Kontagora.