The First Lady of Sokoto state, Dr. Hajiya Fatima Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, has charged 300 women beneficiaries of a state-sponsored vocational training scheme to maximize their newly acquired skills. She made the call on Saturday while presiding over the graduation ceremony, presentation of certificates, and empowerment distribution in Sokoto. The beneficiaries completed intensive training across six high-demand artisanal trades.
The six trades include tailoring, knitting, weaving, henna artistry, beadwork, and shoe/bag manufacturing, with 50 women trained 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 substantial financial commitment toward economic self-reliance and women-led micro-enterprises.
To ensure immediate operational readiness, 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, while bead making, henna artistry, and weaving 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. This aligns with the administration’s 9-Point Smart Agenda.
The First Lady further contextualized the event within broader state and federal interventions, highlighting cross-ministry collaborations and capital support provided under the Ahmadu-CARES scheme. She also acknowledged the impact of social welfare and food security interventions delivered through the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), spearheaded by the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
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. Nana Asmau Abubakar, speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, expressed profound gratitude to the Sokoto State Government for the life-changing opportunity.
The colourful ceremony brought together top government officials, traditional rulers, community leaders, and civil society representatives, accompanied by cultural performances from local traditional artists. The graduands pledged to judiciously utilize the machinery and cash grants to establish viable businesses and mentor others within their communities.
Key points
- The Sokoto State Government invested over N150 million in the vocational training scheme.
- The scheme aims to drive grassroots wealth creation and poverty alleviation across Sokoto state.
- The First Lady urged well-meaning individuals and corporate organizations to complement government efforts through community-level mentorship and support.
