The First Lady of Sokoto state, Dr. Hajiya Fatima Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, has urged 300 women beneficiaries of a state-sponsored vocational training scheme to maximize their newly acquired skills. She made the call during the graduation ceremony, presentation of certificates, and empowerment distribution in Sokoto. The women completed intensive training in six high-demand artisanal trades: tailoring, knitting, weaving, henna artistry, beadwork, and shoe/bag manufacturing.
The beneficiaries were trained across the six trades with 50 women per trade. Dr. Fatima Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto revealed that over N150 million was invested in the empowerment initiative. She emphasized that the state government has a substantial financial commitment toward economic self-reliance and women-led micro-enterprises. The First Lady asserted that the idea is to enable the women to start up their businesses without delay.
The empowerment package was tailored to the specific needs of each trade. For tailoring and knitting, start-up machinery alongside a N20,000 cash grant for equipment installation and logistics was provided. Participants in shoe and bag manufacturing received a N100,000 start-up capital grant per participant. Bead making, henna artistry, and weaving participants received a N50,000 take-off cash grant per participant.
Dr. Fatima noted that human capital development and youth empowerment remain central to the leadership of Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto. The state’s socio-economic strategy focuses on poverty alleviation, curbing unemployment, and driving grassroots wealth creation across all 244 political wards of Sokoto state. The First Lady highlighted cross-ministry collaborations and capital support provided under the Ahmadu-CARES scheme.
The event was also contextualized within broader state and federal interventions, including social welfare and food security interventions delivered through the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), spearheaded by the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. Dr. Fatima commended the Governor’s foresight in establishing the dedicated Ministry of Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development, Hon. Abba Muhammad Mu’alledi, commended the beneficiaries for their exemplary discipline and commitment throughout the training period. He reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to delivering market-relevant vocational programs that align with local economy demands.
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Nana Asmau Abubakar expressed gratitude to the Sokoto State Government for the life-changing opportunity. The graduands pledged to judiciously utilize the machinery and cash grants to establish viable businesses and mentor others within their communities. The ceremony brought together top government officials, traditional rulers, community leaders, and civil society representatives.
Key points
- The Sokoto State Government invested over N150 million in the empowerment initiative.
- The women graduands were trained in six high-demand artisanal trades.
- The empowerment package included start-up machinery and cash grants tailored to each trade.
