…to train Kwara women
In a bid to enhance entrepreneurship among women in the country, the Industrial Training Funds (ITF) has empowered no fewer than 11,100 women and youths in one of its intervention programme, which commenced last year.
The Director General of ITF, Sir Joseph Ari, made the disclosure during an interview with newsmen at the Ilorin International Airport, on Monday.
According to him, the about 200 people were selected from each state of the federation to benefit from the empowerment programme.
He said: “What we did was to identify three trade areas, that is, welding and fabrication, plumbing and pipefitting, tailoring and fashion design. What we did was beyond training as we also gave the beneficiaries equipment to start their businesses.
“Our tracking system have shown that more than 80 per cent of them have set up and doing well in their investments.”
He added the agency is collaborating with the private sectors to ensure that the unemployment rate in the country is drastically reduced to minimal.
He further disclosed that the ITF has concluded plans to empower hundreds of women in Kwara State.
He said: “I’m here to familiarise myself with the Ilorin operational office and to see how our intervention programme for women has impacted on Kwara society under the women scheme empowerment programme. This is aimed at contributing our quotas towards their livelihood.
“We have realised that most of our women are laid back, therefore, there is need to challenge their ingenuity and potentials so that they are able to take their destinies in their hands. And, we do that by equipping them with requisite skills to create wealth and add value to the economy,” he further said.
The DG stated that the agency has similar programme for the physically challenged group in the country for construction and for youths under the national industrial skills development programme.
He said, ” The essence of the programme is to increase skills in our country as no nation can grow without these skills. It is the trend in the 21st century. So we have been going round making clarion calls for individuals and stakeholders to collaborate with ITF.
“Because the population of this country is increasing on daily basis therefore, if we don’t empower our citizens handicraft then we are in trouble,” he noted.
“Paper qualification cannot take us far as other nations are falling back on skills development.
” Skills is in the front burner for any meaningful infrastructural development in any advanced country. That’s why we are calling for collaboration because a booming population without hand made trade will result to vices in the society.”
