Dangote Cement Plc has commenced a poultry skill acquisition and empowerment programme for youths in its host communities in Kogi State.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that already, 30 youths, drawn from the catchment areas have been enlisted.
The catchment areas covered for the programme that has commenced are Oyo, Obajana, Iwaa and Apata.
Ademola Adeyemi, General Manager, Community Affairs/Special Duties of the plant, disclosed this in a statement issued in Lokoja on Sunday.
Adeyemi said it was part of the plant’s 2023 community empowerment scheme for the youth in host communities of Kogi State toward mitigating the shortfalls in poultry farming and business in the country.
According to him, the intervention will support the government in boosting poultry production and business, which will go a long way in stimulating economic growth and development.
He said: “The training is expected to impact positively on poultry production, processing, record keeping and the entrepreneurial skills of the beneficiaries.
“Already, starter packs, which include: point of laying hens, battery cages, feeds medication and other working accessories, have been handed over to the beneficiaries at an occasion attended by key stakeholders.
“The College of Education (Technical), Kabba, is saddled with the responsibility of carrying out the training on behalf of Dangote Cement Plc.”
Adeyemi said the Provost of College of Education (Technical), Kabba, Dr. Jagboro Victoria-Olusola, appreciated the management of Dangote Cement Plc, Obajana for the initiative.
Victoria-Olusola said that the effort was an apt demonstration of teaching people how to fish rather than giving them fish.
Earlier, Deputy Provost of the college, Michael Odoma, who is the anchor person in charge of the training, said the Plant Director of Dangote Cement Plc, Obajana Plant, J.V. Gungune, explained that the trainees have had two-and-a-half months of classroom training.
Odoma said the trainees had been taught all aspects of poultry production, processing, bookkeeping, accounting and entrepreneurial skills, among others.
He further stated that the classroom teachings had been complemented with practical field visits to notable poultry businesses in and around the state.
The Plant Director, who urged the beneficiaries to demonstrate high sense of commitment so that they can succeed, encouraged them to see the starter packs as a mango tree that needed to be nurtured to bear fruits year-in-year-out on a sustainable basis.
Gungune also advised them to be disciplined and prudent so that they could enjoy the benefits of the initiative to the maximum.
