The Katsina State Government has distributed start-up equipment to 1,662 graduates of its Youth Craft Village to help them establish businesses, as it announced plans to expand vocational training across the state.
Governor Dikko Radda disclosed this on Monday at the institution’s second graduation ceremony at Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina, where he said the government had invested more than ₦4 billion in renovating and equipping the facility.
The government did not provide a breakdown of the expenditure or specify the period covered by the investment.
The number of graduates rose from 648 at the institution’s maiden ceremony to 1,662, an increase of about 156 per cent. However, the government did not disclose how many graduates from the previous batch had established businesses.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, Radda said the investment covered facility renovations, upgrades and the purchase of modern machines and tools.
The graduates received training in more than 15 trades, including tailoring, welding and fabrication, carpentry, electrical installation, information and communication technology, catering, cosmetology, plumbing and automobile repairs.
Radda urged the beneficiaries to use the equipment to establish businesses rather than sell it, saying the government wanted them to put their skills into practice and create employment opportunities.
He also announced plans to establish additional vocational training centres across the state’s 34 local government areas, with a target of training more than 5,000 young people before the end of his administration.
The governor said the government had also established an innovation hub and an innovation desk at the craft village.
He added that the Katsina State Enterprise Development Agency had supported more than 60,000 beneficiaries through various enterprise development programmes, although details of the support and the period covered were not provided.
Former Governor Ibrahim Shema, who established the Youth Craft Village during his administration, said the institution was created to equip young people, particularly those from rural communities, with practical skills.
Shema said the centre had attracted trainees from other parts of Nigeria and neighbouring Niger Republic.
The institution’s coordinator, Kabir Soro, attributed the increase in the number of graduates to the state government’s expansion of the facility.
The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education, Idris Bugaje, urged other states to establish similar vocational training programmes, including through community and Islamic schools.
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