The Federal Government has distributed starter packs to 18,510 Nigerians trained in vocational and entrepreneurial skills to enable them to establish businesses and create jobs.
The beneficiaries, drawn from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, completed a two-week training programme as part of the first batch of the Renewed Hope Vocational and Skills Training Programme of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).
Speaking at the closing ceremony in Abuja, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro, said the programme was designed to move beneficiaries beyond temporary relief by equipping them with practical skills and productive assets capable of generating sustainable livelihoods.
The beneficiaries were trained in automobile technology, agricultural technology, baking and confectionery, carpentry and furniture making, catering services, electrical installation, housekeeping and hospitality services, jewellery and bead making, masonry, plumbing, welding and fabrication, fashion design and sewing, grinding machine operation, vulcanising and tyre services.
They also received training in entrepreneurship, business management, financial literacy and customer relations.
Doro said the intervention was part of the ministry’s broader ‘One Humanitarian, One Poverty Response’ system, which seeks to move Nigerians on the National Social Registry through a structured pathway from registration to skills acquisition, productive assets and enterprise, ultimately leading to graduation out of poverty.
He said the government was not merely giving beneficiaries certificates but putting trades in their hands and providing the equipment needed to begin working immediately.
According to him, the government recovered, refurbished and redeployed vocational equipment that had remained unused in warehouses for years.
The minister urged beneficiaries to protect and maintain the starter packs and to use them to establish businesses that would create employment opportunities in their communities.
‘The starter packs you receive today are not gifts in the ordinary sense. They are productive assets, an investment in your future, and a statement of confidence in you. Protect them, maintain them, and put them to work, building businesses that create jobs for others in your communities, not only income for yourselves.’
The National Coordinator of NSIPA, Assoc. Prof. Badamasi Lawal, said the beneficiaries were trained not only to become self-employed but also to become employers of labour.
He added that the agency would monitor the use of the starter packs to ensure they were deployed for their intended purpose.
The National Programme Manager of N-POWER, Dr Nsikak Okon, said the government has established mechanisms to track beneficiaries and ensure that the starter packs are properly utilised.
He said all beneficiaries have been enrolled on a digital portal equipped with GPS to monitor their locations and track their progress.
According to him, the portal also contains details of the starter packs allocated to individual beneficiaries, enabling them to report discrepancies or defects.
Okon also added that a call centre has been established to enable beneficiaries to report challenges and seek assistance.
Each beneficiary received a ?60,000 transport allowance to support travel during the two-week training period.