No fewer than 500 newly trained artisans in Katsina State have secured immediate employment in a multi-billion naira housing project following their graduation from the Family Homes Artisans Skills Training (FAST) programme.
The graduands, who completed an intensive two-month training programme facilitated by C-STEMP and supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB) under the Youth Entrepreneurial Innovation Multi-Donor Trust Fund, are to be engaged in the construction of 3,650 agro-housing units valued at about N155 billion in Kankia and Charanchi Local Government Areas of the state.
Managing Director of Cosmos Residential City Limited, Malam Murtala Sani Ibrahim, announced the automatic employment of all the graduands during the graduation ceremony held in Katsina.
According to him, the newly certified artisans would begin documentation immediately ahead of their deployment to the housing sites.
‘This is a case of a preparation meeting opportunity. We have engaged all of you to be part of the workforce for these projects. From Monday, we will commence your documentation because we now have disciplined, professional and well-trained artisans to work with,’ Ibrahim said.
Similarly, Governor Dikko Umaru Radda of Katsina state described the graduation as a major milestone in the state’s drive to reduce poverty and strengthen the local economy through skills acquisition and job creation.
The governor said the partnership between the Katsina State Government, Family Homes Fund Limited and the African Development Bank had opened new economic opportunities for young people in the state.
‘Today we have taken a meaningful step toward reducing poverty. This ceremony is a celebration of empowerment, dignity and opportunity,’ Radda stated.
The governor urged private sector players and contractors handling government projects to patronise the newly trained artisans, especially as the state government plans to embark on new housing projects within the Katsina metropolis.
Representing the Managing Director of Family Homes Funds Limited (FHFL), the Executive Director of Finance, Malam Abdullahi Musa, said the initiative was designed not only to provide housing but also to create sustainable livelihoods.
However, as part of the empowerment package, each graduate received a trade-specific toolbox to enable them to immediately begin practice.
Meanwhile, former Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Architect Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, also commended the programme and announced a N5 million scholarship and empowerment fund for outstanding graduates and under the scheme, the best graduating male and female students in each of the six trade categories received N250,000 each, while first runners-up received N150,000.
One of the prize-winning graduands, 30-year-old Surayya Ahmad Husseini from Dutsin-Ma, who specialised in tiling, said the programme had changed her perception about technical trades.