850 youths to benefit from CBN’s training in Niger

No fewer than 850 youths in Niger State are to benefit from the Central Bank of Nigeria entrepreneurship development training programme.

The Permanent Secretary in the Niger State Ministry of Youth Development, Hajiya Ramatu Suleiman, said this on Thursday during the post-Executive press briefing in Minna, adding that the CBN had initiated to train 500 youths, but the state government proposed to add additional 350 to make them 850.

Suleiman disclosed that the programme is to support the Federal Government and state agencies involved in empowering youths in the state.

According to her: “There will be post graduate monitoring, where each participant will be required to submit a business proposal on how he or she would develop the business before the funding.

“All the 274 wards in the state will benefit and the needed facilities will be provided without discrimination or politicking.”

Earlier, Prof. Yahaya Kuta, the Niger State Commissioner of Agriculture and Rural Development, disclosed that during the council meeting, the state government has come with a proposal to provide incentives for investors.

Yahaya disclosed that 13,580 hectares of land would be given to investors willing to partner with the state.

According to him: “5,480 hectares would be for unemployed youths willing to cultivate in agriculture and 20 hectares would be allocated to each youth in the 274 wards.

“We can recall that when Thailand, a rice producing country, delegation visited the state, some of the strategies was to assist the state produce rice two to three times in a year instead of once a year.

“These incentives to investors is to encourage especially foreign investors partnership so as to boost our agriculture produce.”

Also, Alhaji Abdullahi Hassan, the state Commissioner for Commerce and Investment, said the incentives for investors would cut across federal and state on tax reductions.

Hassan said investors would be issued certificate of occupancy within two weeks.

It will be signed by the state Governor, Dr. Babangida Aliyu.

He further stated: “This would include application for incentive package provided by the Federal Government through quota system, including agency fee.

“Provision of subsidy with 20 per cent per cent approved by the Federal Government.”