The Katsina State Government has invested more than ₦4 billion in vocational training infrastructure and empowered 1,662 youths with skills and start-up equipment.
Gov. Dikko Radda, who disclosed this on Monday at the second graduation ceremony of the Katsina Youth Craft Village, said the aim was to tackle unemployment and promote entrepreneurship.
Radda said the investment was part of his administration’s commitment to transforming unemployed youths into entrepreneurs capable of achieving economic independence and creating jobs for others.
He said the graduates had undergone intensive training in more than 15 trades, including tailoring, welding and fabrication, carpentry, electrical installation, information and communication technology, computer repairs, catering, cosmetology, plumbing and automobile repairs.
The governor said the government had renovated, modernised and equipped the institution to provide practical training that met contemporary industry requirements.
“We will not just give them certificates and send them away. We are empowering each and every one of them with start-up tools and equipment worth millions of naira to enable them to start their own businesses immediately,” he said.
Radda said the number of beneficiaries had increased from 648 at the previous graduation ceremony to 1,662, representing a 156.79 per cent increase.
He described vocational skills acquisition as a critical strategy for addressing unemployment, poverty and insecurity, stressing that empowering young people would enable them to contribute meaningfully to economic development.
“An idle youth is a danger to society, but a skilled youth is an asset to the nation and an asset to society,” he said.
The governor urged the graduates to use the equipment provided productively and avoid selling the items.
He encouraged them to embrace honesty, innovation and professionalism in building sustainable enterprises and creating employment opportunities for other young people.
Radda announced plans to train and empower more than 5,000 youths across craft villages in the state before the end of his first tenure.
He also pledged to establish vocational training centres in all 34 local government areas to expand access to practical skills, particularly among youths in rural communities.
Former Gov. Ibrahim Shema commended the administration for sustaining and expanding the craft village, which he said was established about 17 years ago to equip young people with skills for economic self-reliance.
Shema said the institution had attracted trainees from across Nigeria and neighbouring Niger Republic, while its graduates had established businesses and secured employment in various sectors.
He urged the beneficiaries to protect and utilise the equipment provided by the government to build sustainable businesses and achieve financial independence.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Higher, Technical and Vocational Education, Ahmed Aliyu, said technical and vocational education should be recognised as a viable pathway to economic independence rather than an inferior alternative to conventional academic qualifications.
Earlier, the Coordinator of the Youth Craft Village, Abdullahi Kofar-Sauro, said the graduates were leaving the institution with practical skills and start-up equipment to establish their own enterprises.
“They came as job seekers, but today they are leaving as job creators,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that highlights of the event is the presentation of certificates and equipment to the beneficiaries to establish their businesses.(NAN)
