NDE disburses N14.6m agriculture loans to Kebbi youths
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) has disbursed N14.6 million agricultural loans to 146 youths in Kebbi State under its Rural Employment Promotion Programme.
The Director-General, NDE, Malam Abubakar Fikpo, disclosed this in Birnin Kebbi on Tuesday during orientation of the second phase agricultural loans disbursement.
Fikpo, represented by the NDE state Coordinator, Alhaji Abdullahi Danjuma-Machika, said that beneficiaries would get N100, 000 each, to be paid within three-years.
“They are expected to repay the loan in three years at nine per cent interest.
“We disbursed N10.8 million loans to 108 unemployed people in January and now N3.8 million to 38 unemployed youths.
“The emphasis is on agriculture because it is the mainstay of the economy. We are trying to arouse the interest of our youths to go into agriculture and its value chain.
“The first batch of recipients was empowered on January this year,’’ he said.
Read Also: Emir directs district heads to embrace Kebbi Health Insurance…
The NDE boss said the beneficiaries were captured under the Agricultural Enhancement Scheme and Community-Based Agricultural Empowerment Scheme.
He added they were also under Graduate Agricultural Empowerment Scheme and Sustainable Agricultural Development and Empowerment Scheme.
He noted that the directorate gave beneficiaries six months moratorium after which they were expected to repay the loan in installments with three years.
Fipko said that the Sustainable Agricultural Development Training Scheme (SADTS) was aimed at creating job opportunities for youths in the agricultural sector.
“SADTS is a training which places emphasis on the use of modern technology, this will ensure that agricultural research and extension services are high-input for crops and animals production in which the state has great comparative advantage.
“The training has two components; the theoretical class for two weeks and adaptive experiential farm for 10 weeks,” Fipko said.
However, cross section of the beneficiaries thanked the NDE for the opportunity, assuring that the loans would be used judiciously and paid back in the stipulated period.
