Borno to partner OPS, others in poverty, unemployment reduction

EXECUTIVE Secretary of Borno State Agency for Mass Literacy (BOAML), Alhaji Abba Kaka Alibe, has said that the agency would continue to partner with the Organised Private Sector (OPS) in various “skills acquisitions and entrepreneurial trainings to address illiteracy, poverty and unemployment among teeming youths, including Internally-Displaced Persons (IDPs) residing in various camps of Maiduguri and Biu.

The partnership, according to him, would also harness the rich agricultural and mineral resources in the massive production of household goods, with increased incomes of entrepreneurs to reduce poverty and unemployment among youths in the state.

Alibe, who disclosed these at the passing out of 202 IDPs from the Small Scale Entrepreneurship (SMSE) training programme at BOAML Assembly Hall in Maiduguri, said the agency was not only in the business of mass literacy, but to address poverty and unemployment among youths by partnering with other agencies on various “skills’ acquisitions and trades” to create more job opportunities.

He, therefore, called on other corporate organisations in the country to emulate Na’ish Handmade Enterprise in the training of youths for various skills and trade in addressing poverty and unemployment.

His words: “As this agency continued to partner with other corporate organisations in skills’ acquisitions to develop human capacity-building, I call on Borno State government to further assist in the training of more displaced persons taking refuge in various camps in Maiduguri and other towns in the North-East sub-region of the country.”

The Managing Director of Na’ish Handmade Enterprises, Aisha Musa Kidah, said a nation would not be industrialised without giving maximum support and attention to human capacity-building through skills’ acquisitions and trades.

Her words: “May I hasten to explain that the two sets of participants are passing out together because they are inseparable for two reasons. One, it is the resources we generated from the training of the determined and self-sponsored participants that we leveraged to give the IDPs this training.

The desire to get trained, the zeal and determination displayed by the two groups during the programme better explains the need for government at all levels to give attention to this industry as an answer to the much talk about unemployment in this country, Nigeria.
“Chairman sir, we promise to reach out to many more youths as possible if the government can give us support and encouragement in addressing poverty and unemployment in this state and the country at large.”