… Targets 15,000 Beneficiaries by End of 2021
The Lagos State Government has expressed its readiness to train and empower residents on the use of coconut shell for different arts and crafts that would produce various items for use at home and in offices.
Speaking on Monday at the commencement of a training session for 1,000 beneficiaries, held at Farm Service Centre, Oko-Oba, Agege, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, said that the State government is harnessing every available opportunity to create job opportunities for the citizens, stressing that over 15,000 youths and women would be empowered by the Ministry, through the Lagos State Coconut Development Authority (LASCODA).
She explained that the empowerment programme organised by LASCODA is in tandem with the T.H.E.M.E.S. Agenda, noting that the government will produce independent entrepreneurs, who would in return become employers of labour.
Olusanya, represented by the General Manager of LASCODA, Mr. Dapo Olakulehin, stated that the beneficiaries would be trained in batches for several weeks to make them passionate about creative arts and acquire necessary skills for the production of arts and crafts from coconut shells.
According to her “the training is practice-oriented and at the end, the trainees will be supported with basic tools, while the outstanding ones would be given the opportunity of being certified by the Entrepreneur Development Institute (EDI) of CBN for accessibility to credit facilities to expand their trade.
The Commissioner implored the trainees to maximise the opportunities presented by the training to acquire the needed skills to excel in the craft-making venture, stressing that the government is determined to surpass the accomplishments recorded under the empowerment initiative last year.
In his remarks, the General Manager (LASCODA), Mr. Dapo Olakulehin, who spoke through the Director of Planning Monitoring and Evaluation in the Agency, Mr. Olatunji Hamzat, implored the trainees to take maximum advantage of the programme, pay attention, participate actively and seek for clarifications when necessary.
He also advised them to focus on self-development for financial and economic freedom, as well as ensure that they comply with all COVID-19 protocols, during and after the training session.
Speaking on behalf of the trainees, Mrs. Motunrayo Adewale, expressed profound gratitude to the Lagos State Government for making the training available and the continuous efforts of LASCODA in providing youths and women with various opportunities for economic and social development.
