NDE Trains 65 Artisans, Youths On Business Skills

The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has commenced a five-day Basic Business Training (BBT) for 65 school leavers and artisans in Nasarawa State.
The NDE Director General, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu-Fikpo, made this known at the opening ceremony of the BBT in Lafia on Monday.
Nuhu-Fikpo, who was represented by the Nasarawa State NDE Coordinator, Mr Chris Bamsida, said the training, designed for artisans and school leavers, was on the rudimentary aspects of business management skills.
He said that with the skills, the chances of their success in the market place were higher.
“The training is part of the agency’s efforts in addressing the menace of business failure arising from lack of managerial skills by new entrants into the informal sector.
“The informal sector is a significant contributor to the economy of every nation”, Nuhu-Fikpo said.
The Director General said the role of local barbers, cobblers, hair dressers, and similar players in the economy could not be disregarded.
He said the directorate was established by an Act of Government in 1987 to implement programmes meant to tackle mass unemployment through various strategies developed over the years.
“The targets of these programmes are the graduates, school leavers and artisans.
“The four core programmes of the directorate are the Rural Employment Promotion (REP), Special Public Works (SPW), Vocational Skills Development (VSD) and the Small Scale Enterprises (SSE) which is conducting the training.
“The SSE programme is involved in the development of the entrepreneurial abilities among youths, especially graduates of tertiary institutions, amongst others.
“It was primarily designed to inculcate in the unemployed, the spirit of entrepreneurship, creativity and self-reliance with a view to assisting them set up their own businesses”, he said.
The DG thanked the state government and other stakeholders for their continuous assistance as well as the members of the press for propagating the programmes of the agency.
In a welcome address, Ms Chikodi Ike, the Head of Department, SSE, Abuja said that the agency was committed to its mandate in order to reduce unemployment and poverty within the limits of its resources.
Ike, represented by Mrs Carol Eluwa, Ag. HOD, Women Employment Branch (WEB) NDE, Abuja commended the director general for initiating different policies and programmes in tackling unemployment in the country.
The Commissioner for Trade, Industry and Investment, Mr Salihu Enah, represented by the Director of Cooperatives in the Ministry, Alhaji Sani Bello and Dr Idris Umar, General Manager, Nasarawa State Vocational and Relevant Technology Board, appreciated NDE for its efforts in tackling unemployment in the state.