By Austin Ajayi, Yola
No fewer than forty young people drawn from the southern zone of Adamawa state have been equipped with the technical knowhow in various entrepreneurial skills.
The empowerment training which lasted three days attracted five participants each from nine local governments that made up the zone.
According to the organizers, the training was designed to raise the next generation of entrepreneurs in order to address the critical question of unemployment and poverty among youths in the area.
Speaking to newsmen, in Numan, Adamawa state, Senator Binos said, “the objective is to change their mindset that government jobs are no longer available so that they can stand on their feet and not be waiting for government jobs that are not coming”.
“Empower them to stand on their feet, set up their own business and run them effectively and professionally”.
” So that they will not to wait for government jobs but to start something on their own”.
The biggest mistake we make is reducing programs like this to how much money participants will get instead of how much opportunity they could be exposed to.
At the end of the day, most likely no money would come out directly from my pocket but we are looking for ways to connecting participants with organisations like NIRSAL, SMEDAN, among other options in order to give them access to resources that would power their dream project the Senator added.
We are also seeking ways of connecting them to mentors who would guide them and see that they are working according to base principles of business practice.
One of the master trainers for the leadership and entrepreneurship project, Abioye Oke said, the training was more of an intervention designed to create some form of generational empowerment and we have been able to create a unique tracking system and an appraisal system first within three months and six months.
A female participant, Mbasti Nicholson, in the training said she is previleged to be part of the training on leadership.
She said, “I thought it was all about having money but now I know knowledge should preceed wealth.
“I own a restaurant and an outdoor cataring services and this training has changed my mindset about how I would relate with my staff and customers and I think this will great improve my work and has reposition me to achieve more in life and business.”
