By Cajetan Mmuta
The National Directorate of Employment, NDE, has commenced the training of 25 graduates in Anambra state on agricultural intervention policies, packaging and digital marketing of agricultural products.

It also empowered the graduates through its ‘Sustainable Agricultural Development Training Scheme, (SADTS), in the state by availing them the opportunity to acquire advanced training on “the Post SADTS” of the Rural Employment Promotion Programme.

Director-General of NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo stated this on Wednesday while addressing the participants during the flag-off ceremony of the training in Awka, Anambra state capital.

Fikpo said the training was equally aimed at providing more food, creating employment, reducing poverty and enhancing the quality of life for farmers and society in general.

Fikpo who was represented by Mr Jinanwa Chukwuma, Deputy Director, stated that ” The 25 graduate beneficiaries of the SADTS in the state have been selected for further training under the most SADTS’ of the Rural Employment Promotion Department.

“They will be trained for five days to acquire these unique modern technologies in Agriculture and Agricultural Value Chain.”

“The thrust of the programmes of the Directorate at the most is based on agriculture, skills acquisition, enterprise creation and sustainability strategies. This is because when the agricultural sector thrives, the manufacturing sector that depends on agricultural produce would also thrive,” he said.

” Hunger and poverty would be reduced, the economy at the centre would be healthy, inflation decreasing and ultimately the negative effects of unemployment such as engagement in anti-social vices would disappear.”

The State Coordinator of the NDE, Mrs Chika Ufelle advised the trainees to make judicious use of the opportunity by being attentive and punctual throughout the training in order to enhance their agricultural competencies, make more money and employ others.

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While recalling how far NDE has gone in empowering the youths, Ufelle stated, noting that “462 persons were recruited recently and are currently undergoing training under the Basic and Advanced National Open Apprenticeship Scheme, B-NOAS, where they will be taught skills ranging from fashion designing, hairdressing, auto-mechanical among others.”

One of the participants, Miss Miracle Enweani expressed happiness for the opportunity to join other trainees in acquiring the knowledge of cultivating fish farms.

She said, ” I am so happy to join in this agricultural training under NDE, which will help me to actualise being an employer of labour and a large producer of fishes when I will start my own fish farm after the training.”

“This has also exposed me to acquire more knowledge on agricultural development. I thank NDE for giving me this opportunity which could have been difficult for me if I had looked for elsewhere where payment of the training could not have been easy for me to afford,” she added