Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has approved N810 million in financial assistance for 4,050 graduates of the Kaduna State Institute of Vocational Training and Skills Development to help them establish their own businesses.
The governor disclosed this on Thursday during the maiden graduation ceremony of the institute held at the Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa Campus in Rigachikun, Kaduna State.
Under the programme, each graduate will receive N200,000, with the funds to be disbursed through the Kaduna State Enterprise Development Agency (KADSEA).
Sani said the financial support would enable the beneficiaries to acquire essential tools, provide start-up capital, undertake professional registration and meet transportation expenses while searching for employment opportunities.
He said the state government was also partnering with companies and industries to provide avenues for direct employment, apprenticeships, internships, mentorships, subcontracting and other organised engagements for the graduates.
“We are also developing a digital platform to connect graduates with employers and track employment outcomes,” he said.
The governor said the effectiveness of the programme would not be determined solely by the number of people trained, but by how many graduates secure employment, establish businesses, increase their incomes and obtain contracts.
According to him, the graduates, who obtained the National Skills Qualification Level II, represented a new generation of skilled citizens equipped to create value for themselves, their families and the broader economy.
He said his administration was creating an ecosystem that would enable young people to achieve self-reliance, women to turn their skills into businesses and persons living with disabilities to participate meaningfully in the economy.
