The Kano State Government said it had spent N500 million on training and empowerment of 200 youths as mechanics, panel beaters and welders at the Peugeot Automobile and Nigeria Training Centre, Kaduna.
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje disclosed this on Thursday during the graduation and empowerment the beneficiaries at Government House, Kano.
Ganduje said that the initiative was to reduce unemployment and provide skilled manpower in modern mechanics and mechatronics.
He said that a batch of 72 and 150 trainees, who had graduated, have been provided with working tools and are now self-employed as mechanics, panel beaters and welders in the state.
“When we came in, we realised that we had quite a number of youths who were not employed.
“So, we came up with strategies that will ensure that we train youths, empower them, give them capital so that they can be self-reliant,” Ganduje said.
He said that the trainees would receive N80 million worth of working tools and N50,000 each as start up capital.
The governor said from the reports received by the government, more than 90 per cent of the first batch of beneficiaries are fully self-employed and earning a living.
According to him, out of the 422 trainees, decent number of them are women as a way of encouraging women to be self-reliant.
In his remarks, Managing Director of PAN, Muhammad Tanko, commended the state government for the initiative and urged other states to emulate it.
Tanko, who was represented by Jumat Ali, said that the gesture would help in reducing unemployment rate in the state and the country at large.
Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant to the governor on Automobile, Malam Idris Hassan, said that the training would reduce youths restiveness and unemployment.
Hassan commended them for being good ambassadors of the state throughout the programme in Kaduna.
Some of the trainees interviewed, thanked the governor for giving them the opportunity to be self-reliant and earn decent living.NAN
