The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) is set to train 145 youths in Osun in entrepreneurial and vocational skills under its job creation and empowerment programme.Mr Dikko Radda, the Director General of SMEDAN, made this known during the opening of the agency’s National Business Skills Development Initiative (NBSDI) programme in Osogbo.

Radda, who was represented by Mr Gbenga Ogundeji, SMEDAN Deputy Director, Enterprise Development and Promotion Department, said the training, which started on Monday, would last for 10 working days.

He explained that participants would be given startup kits immediately after the training, which is holding simultaneously across the six states in the South West.

The D-G said the NBSDI/Empowerment programme was a nationwide programme and that it kick-started in the North West, on Aug. 8, with Sokoto being the flag-off state.

Radda said SMEDAN’s target is to train and empower 5,365 beneficiaries across the country, with 145 participants to be trained, empowered and equipped with start-up tools in each and every state of the federation.

“The training kick-started in Sokoto in the North West in August, but the training has now covered the North East and North Central with the South-West training starting now.

“The aim of the training is to empower participants, so they can be self-reliant, be their own bosses and be employers of labour.

“The training is in three components which is made-up of  entrepreneurship, vocational skill and empowerment.

“Participants would be given vocational tools immediately after the training for them to startup their own business, with the  belief that in two to three years, those trained would employ others, which in turn would have a multiplier effect.” he said.

Radda said further that the training/empowerment programme was also targeted at rural revitalisation of the economy.

According to him, those trained in the rural areas are expected to establish their businesses in their rural locality which would boost local economy.

In his remarks, Mr Bode Olaonipekun, Osun Commissioner for Commerce, Industry, Cooperative and Empowerment, encouraged participants to make the best use of the training to improve themselves and the state economy.

Olaonipekun said the state government had been partnering with SMEDAN to create job opportunities and empowerment for youths and citizens of the state.

He described NBSDI as a programme welcomed and supported by the state government