The Minister of State for Industries, Trade and Investment, Ambassador Maryam Yalwaji-Katagum, has disclosed that the Bank of Industry (BOI) has disbursed N172 million in the past one year on 27 projects that were designed to empower youths in Bauchi State.
This Day reports, Yalwaji-Katagun explained at a town hall meeting on security issues that the projects are sited in 11 Local Government Areas of the state and were among the 67 of such projects proposed for the state.
She said that the projects are in agro-processing, printing and solid minerals, among others while the local governments are Katagum, Dass, Tafawa Balewa, Alkaleri, Toro, Kirfi, Ningi, Ganjuwa, Jama’are, Darazo and Misau.
She lauded the efforts of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) that engaged a minimum of 2,242 persons from 2018 to date in its various empowerment schemes.
Yelwaji-Katagum explained that the federal government placed a high premium on acquisition of vocational skills and entrepreneurial development as vehicles of employment generation and poverty alleviation.
She said that the plan of the government to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years is on course and would be pursued vigorously.
The town hall meeting was attended by the State Governor, Mr. Bala Mohammed; the Minister of Education, Mr. Adamu Adamu and other top government officials, civil society groups, politicians and traditional rulers.