The National Directorate of Employment, NDE, has trained 1,850 unemployed persons on Small Stock (Goat) Production nationwide.
The training which was carried out in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja was executed in two phases.
The empowerment exercise was carried out by the Directorate under the Rural Employment Promotion, REP, Programme.
According to the Director General of the NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, the empowerment programme is one of the numerous efforts of the federal government towards curbing the challenges of unemployment especially among the youth and women groups and to create jobs.
“Engagement of unemployed youth in goat production business along its value chain will play an important role in the socio-economic and environmental life of the farming communities in terms of income and supply of food for the local population and the country at large,” he said..
The Director-General added that through the training scheme, the participants would be able to earn income, improve the livelihood of the rural people, create employment, reduce rural-urban migration, provide raw materials for leather manufacturing industries, enhance protein intake for the populace, reduce poverty and create wealth.
During the one week programme, the participants went through intensive skills development in goat production technology along its value chain using the revolving model of empowerment.
Three states from each of the six geo-political zones in the country and the FCT were selected for the first phase of the empowerment exercise.
Fifty people, mainly youths and women were recruited for the exercise in each of the 36 states and the federal capital territory.
Flagging off the training exercise at the Agricultural Skills Training Centre in Bwari, FCT Abuja, the Director-General said that the federal government through the NDE has continuously identified opportunities for job creations in the agricultural value chain for successful management of demand driven and viable agribusinesses.
He informed the people that Rural Employment Promotion Programme of the NDE, unlike other training schemes, was specially designed to generate rural and urban employment for the jobless and to improve income for wealth creation through agribusiness engagements.
During the practical demonstration of the training scheme, knowledgeable resource persons from relevant reputable organisations were engaged to expose the trainees to the practical management of goat fattening and breeding.
The participants were also put through many relevant courses which include management of goat housing, breeding techniques and methods, prevention and control of diseases, artificial insemination, natural mating, processing/packaging of goat meat, marketing of goat products: meat, milk, skin and waste.
To sustain profitability and viability, participants were also taught the rudiments of basic business training and record keeping.
They were encouraged to produce business plans to enhance chances of sourcing loans from financial institutions for start-off and expansion.
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Commenting on the economic gains and viability of the training scheme, the Head of the Rural Employment Promotion Programme in the Directorate, Edem Duke, said that goat production in Nigeria is an economically viable business venture because of its value chain and high commercial production which have great employment potentials.
Goat business, he said, had wide market share, with all its (goat) products in high demand.
Goat is a source of meat, milk, hide and skin and manure for farming.
The skin is used by tanning industries for the manufacture of leather products for local and foreign exchange earnings.
The National Directorate of Employment, NDE, recently introduced a spectrum of trainings for the unemployed irrespective of their educational level; this is to further address the challenge of joblessness in the country.
Small Stock (Goat) Production Training Scheme is one of the Quick Fix Schemes of the Directorate which are designed to accommodate skills training that has short duration.
