Over 200 Youth, Women in Kwara State Received Skills, Capital For Self-Reliance

Over 200 Youth and women from Ilorin East and South local government areas in Kwara State have received training in capacity building and entrepreneurship, aimed at making them self-reliant.

The initiative, organized by the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism in partnership with Dr. Yinka Aluko, the House of Representatives member representing Ilorin East/Ilorin South, included startup capital to support the beneficiaries’ business ventures.

Speaking about the four-day orientation and training program, Dr. Yinka Aluko emphasized that the initiative was designed to alleviate poverty in the area.

“The idea of the initiative is to reduce poverty level among the people,” he said through his legislative aide, Abdullahi Galadima. Aluko highlighted that learning a trade is essential for economic independence, stating, “The richest people in the world are not government workers but businesspeople.”

He urged the beneficiaries to seize the opportunity and start small businesses that could be gradually expanded.

The Director of the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism, Dr. Philip Maga, represented by Mrs. Victoria Omoleaupen from the Institute’s Entrepreneurship Unit, stressed that the program aims to tackle poverty across Nigeria.

He encouraged the trainees to take the program seriously, adding, “Government cannot do it alone.”

The guest speaker, Adeniyi Stephen, advised the participants to pursue vocations aligned with their interests, specifically highlighting the profitability of poultry farming.

“Poultry business is lucrative and can be ventured into by every interested person,” he said.

The programme coordinator, Mr. Clement Alegimenlen, noted that vocational training is essential to reducing youth unemployment and empowering them to become job creators.

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