The Kano State Government in collaboration with Mafita Project of the UK AID have empowered over 2,000 youth across the 44 Local Government Areas of the state as part of the government’s marginalised program initiative.

At the launching ceremony of the empowerment held at the state Government House, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje said in addition to his various empowerment programs, he seeks to collaborate with UK AID to empower some over 10,000 youths before the end of 2017.

“Mafita project is a six year DFID funded programme implemented by Adam Smith International with focus on three states in the north and it seeks to facilitate 68,000 marginalised young people aged between 15 and 24 to find a full time employment or self-employment by 2021.

“By extension, we have already gone far in empowering women, children and other people leaving with disabilities, this is therefore the reason why we carefully selected some 2,500 marginalised youths from different parts of the state. Most of these young men and women are already part of our empowerment programs on several skill acquisition.”

Governor Ganduje who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Usman Alhaji said the program is expected to provide marginalised youths such as (Almajiris), young women, and people with disabilities, a way out of poverty and into sustainable livelihoods through increased incomes, reduced levels of marginalisation and increased social collection.

Furthermore, he said government has already mapped out strategies towards restructuring the state’s economic master plan.

“The state development plan is to rebuild Kano into a dynamic, diversified and competitive economy in which all citizens are able to realise their full potentials in a secure and decent environment.

“The state government has hosted a second economic and investments summit as a strategy towards resuscitating the state’s economy, we have also long realised a key issue and a key constraint to economic development is the low level of skills among the population.”

Meanwhile, chairman of the Ganduje Empowerment Initiative and the State Commissioner of Information Muhammad Garba says the empowerment program is part of their administration’s commitment to strengthening training in vocational skills local market system support and capacity building of relevant stakeholders across the state.

“So far we were able to train over 20,000 youths here in Kano State and at the end of the training your Excellency, we initiated a policy where we gave out empowerment materials, such as tools and a working capital.”

The team leader of the Mafita Project, Erl Peterson noted that a combination of poor vocational training infrastructure, lack of skills certification in the informal sector, poor micro and small enterprise incubation facilities, an absence of large scale enterprises, and social exclusion of large segments of society have resulted in high unemployment rates, poor growth prospects of businesses and social instability.

He however stated that the Mafita initiative has put in place some strategies which will help to correct the situation.

“Mafita project in currently working with more than 600 master course persons and 2,445 five acquaintances here in Kano.” (Channels TV)

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