Over 1,130 young people who received training at six recently reopened entrepreneurship institutes in Kano State are expected to receive empowerment packages.
The beneficiaries include graduates of livestock production, movie editing, informatics, fisheries, poultry, and others. Some of the recipients also include youths recovering from substance abuse, who were enrolled in skills acquisition programs.
The Secretary to the Steering Committee on Entrepreneurship Institutes, Dr. Ibrahim Garba Muhammad, disclosed this during a stakeholder meeting with small-scale business owners held at Dangote Business School, Bayero University, Kano.
Dr. Muhammad said the intervention is “part of Governor Yusuf administration’s strategic blueprint to enhancing human capital development and promoting economic empowerment.”
He stated that since the committee was set up in July 2024, six institutes have resumed operations and trained over 840 people, many of whom, he said, have received some form of support after completing the training.
“Among those now scheduled for empowerment are 140 graduates from the Livestock Institute, Bagauda, who will each receive a bull, animal feed, veterinary medicines, and a ₦100,000 startup grant,” he revealed.
“200 graduates from the Horticulture Institute, Bagauda, having completed intensive training in horticultural practices, will be empowered with water pumps, wheelbarrows, spraying machines, cutting tools, and ₦100,000 per person.”
He said the Driving Institute along Zaria Road trained 250 beneficiaries in operating both light and heavy-duty vehicles. “Each graduate will receive ₦200,000, a driving certificate, support for processing a driver’s license, and a ₦15,000 monthly transport allowance,” he added.
According to him, 250 others trained at the Informatics Institute in Kura in digital skills such as UI/UX design, mobile and PC repairs, and data science will receive laptops, repair toolkits, and ₦100,000 startup capital.
Dr. Muhammad added that 90 graduates from the Film Institute in Tiga and 200 from the Fisheries Institute in Bagauda are also listed for empowerment. The fisheries trainees will receive collapsible tanks, juvenile fish, feed, veterinary drugs, and weighing scales.
He said five more institutes are ready to begin operations and can accommodate 1,600 youths.
He noted that the Poultry Institute in Tukui, Makoda, will admit 600 women for training in poultry production and agribusiness. The Reformatory Institute in Kiru will enroll 200 people, including those recovering from drug use, for vocational and rehabilitative training.
“The Artisan Fisheries Institute in Magaga will train 200 individuals in fish farming and hatchery techniques,” he added. “The Irrigation Institute in Gwarzo will admit another 200 youths to be trained in modern irrigation technologies and water resource management.”
He also said, “the Journalism Institute and Sports Institute will each admit 200 beneficiaries, focusing on media and communication, and sports development, respectively.”
Dr. Muhammad recalled that the 26 entrepreneurship centers were originally established during the tenure of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso but were left unused for eight years by the administration of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, which he described as “unfortunate and detrimental to youth empowerment efforts.”
He said the reopening of the centers is already showing results, particularly in tackling unemployment and drug abuse among young people in the state.
