Cuso International, an international development organisation that works to reduce poverty,  in partnership with the Lafarge Africa Plc, at the weekend empowered 50 youths in Cross River.
Speaking at the presentation of starter packs to the beneficiaries in Calabar, Mr Ebrima Sonko, Country Representative of Cuso International, said the beneficiaries were trained on poultry, fisheries, oil palm, renewable energy and cassava farming.
Sonko said the youths, trained under Cuso’s YouLead Project, would be given N200,000 each, totaling N10 million, to pursue their trade.
According to him, the N10 million is part of the N15 million World Bank YouLead Project for Cross River which was initiated three years ago.
He said that YouLead Project had created over 15,000 jobs for young people in the state through entrepreneurship training.
“Together with community leaders, we have undertaken entrepreneurship training for over 12,000 young people in the state.
“This is a milestone in our relationship with Lafarge Africa and we will be looking forward to Lafarge to continue this partnership in future,” he said.
The representative added that the beneficiaries were drawn from Calabar municipality, Akamkpa and Akpabuyo local councils in which Lafarge Africa operated.
The Plant Manager of Lafarge, Mr David Brown, said the success of the programme underscored the importance of the partnership.
Brown said Lafarge Africa entered into the partnership because it recognised its host communities as partners and Cuso’s outstanding role in youth empowerment in the natural resources sector in the state.
He said that the aim was to build skills and improve means of livelihood that would impact on the society and that Lafarge was committed to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
One of the beneficiaries, Mr Inyang Joseph, thanked Cuso International and Lafarge for the gesture and assured them that they would use the opportunity to transform their lives.