By RICHARD NDOMA, Calabar.
COCOA ASSOCIATION EMPOWERS 400 WITH SKILLS IN CROSS RIVER.
The Cross River state branch of the Cocoa Association of Nigeria (CAN) is set to empower 400 youths with entrepreneurship skills through a skill acquisition programme.
CAN Chairman in Cross River state, Mr. Buba Pascal -Kejie, disclosed this during an interactive session with LEADERSHIP yesterday in Ikom.
Pascal-Kejie, stressed that the training aims to equip youths with practical skills, making them self-reliant and reducing over dependence on white-collar jobs which is becoming out of fashion and outdated.
Giving an insight about the training, the CAN chairman in the state averred that that training will help the trainees becomes self reliant, rather roaming the streets of the city seeking for white collar jobs that may hardly exist.
“We have initiated a skill acquisition programme, to take a huge number of youths out from the streets.
“If you look along Ikom Calabar road, you will come by a massive project where we are trying to erect a skill acquisition centre with state -of -the art facility.
“We will use the centre to train young people to acquire certain skills in different areas of human endeavors so that they can better themselves at the end of the day.
“We are going to train boys to stop cocoa theft. We will assist them to acquire skills in welding, carpentry, bricklaying others” CAN chairman maintained.
“We do not want our young men to be in the street to constitute nuisance. An idle mind they said is the devil’s workshop. We are passionate about seeing them better themselves and contribute their quota to development of the society.
CAN chairman who doubles as Chief Executive Officer, Kejies Nig. Ent. Ltd.stressed that the leadership of Cocoa Association will provide starter packs to enable them start up their own businesses.
“This is what we intend to do in order to impact on human capital development”. He maintained.
He averred that plans are underway by the association ‘s leadership to distribute improved variety seedlings to members at no cost in order to boost production of cocoa in the state.
Kejie stated that the association under his watch had reached agreement with exporters whereby they will assist at least 50 License Buying Agents (LBAs), with contracts that can assist LBAs upgrade themselves to become big time buyers instead of being afraid that the LBA would abscond with their money.
“Through our interactions and synergy with the exporters, Tulip company was able to sink bore holes in Balep and Bendeghe Affi communities, Akparabong clan, in Ikom local government area of the state”. He maintained.
