The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has trained 2,000 youths in various entrepreneurial skills to the tune of N400 million, an Official has said.
Prof. Casmiar Obialom, Programme Director, ACBF -CBN-EDC Programme said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Wednesday.
He said that the programme was a Federal Government programme facilitated by the CBN.
“The CBN in a bid to tackle the menace of youth’s unemployment established Entrepreneurship Development Centres in the six geopolitical zones of the country,” he said.
He explained that African Community Bridge Foundation (AFBF), an NGO, with the support of CBN, trained 500 youths quarterly bringing it to a total of 2,000 youths trained this year.
He said that, though, the youths were trained in 40 skills, they were expected to acquire at-least one skill and at the end of the three months to be self-reliant.
Obialom said that they engaged them in two months class work and one month internship.
“Here in Minna, the programme is very successful because of the synergy existing between the CBN, Niger government and the implementing agent, African Community Bridge Foundation (ACBF), ” he said.
Obialom said that some of the trainees from far places were boarded in the hostel.
He said that the youths were taught how to write bankable business plan to enable them had access to credit facilities.
According to him, they have a budget to train over 3000 youths in 2017.
“Next year we shall also include auxiliary training which will help people that are about retiring or people that are retired already,” he said.
He further said that on graduation, the state government would give them N100, 000 as Starter Park which was being given outside CBN credit facilities to graduating youths.
NAN reports that the youths are drawn from the North Central Zone including FCT for the entrepreneurship training.
