By Umar Danladi Ado, Sokoto
Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, has sponsored a two-week skills acquisition programme for 50 youths as part of efforts to implement his administration’s 9-Point Smart Agenda.
The programme was inaugurated by the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Development, Dr Bashir Muhammad Achida, who represented the governor at the ceremony.
Speaking at the inauguration, Achida said youth empowerment was a key component of the administration’s development agenda, stressing that no society could achieve meaningful development without investing in its young people.
He noted that youths constituted a significant proportion of the state’s population and described them as the driving force behind social and economic development.
Achida urged the beneficiaries to remain committed to the training, acquire the necessary skills and apply the knowledge gained to improve their livelihoods.
He assured them that the government would monitor their progress after the programme to ensure they utilised the skills for their benefit and the development of society.
The commissioner also emphasised the importance of individual empowerment, noting that supporting one person could improve the welfare of an entire household.
He disclosed that the selection process was designed to promote fairness and inclusiveness, adding that beneficiaries were selected from different households rather than nominated from the families of top government officials.
In his remarks, the Director-General of the Sokoto State Contributory Health Management Agency (SOCHEMA), Alhaji Yusuf Abu Abdulkarim, said the initiative followed engagements between youth leaders and Governor Ahmed Aliyu on the need to equip young people with skills for self-reliance.
He explained that the governor personally provided support for the programme to enable the selected youths to acquire vocational skills.
According to Abdulkarim, the 50 beneficiaries would receive training in various fields, including mobile phone repairs, solar power installation and repairs, and other vocational activities.
He assured the trainees that the necessary support to establish their businesses would be provided after the training, urging them to remain focused and committed.
Also speaking, the Director-General of Investments, Alhaji Murtala Bala, said the initiative would contribute to reducing unemployment and poverty by making youths economically productive.
The training facilitator, Alhaji Yahaya Dogon Daji, commended the governor for sponsoring the programme, describing it as an initiative capable of generating positive economic benefits for the state.
Some beneficiaries also expressed appreciation to the governor and pledged to take the training seriously to achieve the objectives of the programme.
