As part of deliberate effort at reducing the high rate of unemployment among youths the authorities of Benin Owena River Basin Development Authority (BORBDA) have trained 40 youths from Edo, Delta and Ondo states on beekeeping.
Saliu Ahmed, managing director of the Federal Government agency, made the disclosure while declaring open a four-day capacity building training programme on beekeeping in Benin City.
He said 30 youths from Edo State were last year trained on beekeeping and other agricultural production activities.
He said the capacity building programme was aimed at keying into the Federal Government policy of diversifying the economy of the nation by engaging the youths in meaningful ventures, reducing rate of unemployment as well as create jobs for the nation’s teeming unemployed youth through agriculture.
He noted that the training programmed was also aimed at mainstreaming the energies of the youths towards the strategic plan of the Federal Government to increase agricultural and manufacturing productivity.
Read Also:https://clone.businessday.ng/lead-story/article/buhari-assents-law-amending-nigerias-oil-contracts/
The BORBDA boss explained that the training programme was also targeted at teaching the participants modern techniques in beekeeping, provision of modern tools, linked to markets as well as its value chain as a means of improving their socio-economic status.
He however reeled out benefits inherent on bee’s product to include Honey, Bee wax, Popolis, Royal Jelly, Pollen, Bee Venom, saying the products were highly useful to man and were used in foods, pharmaceuticals and medicine for human health.
In his address, Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki reiterated his administration’s commitment to youth skills development and capacity building for sustainable economic prosperity.
The governor, represented by Ukinebo Dare, head, Edo State Skills Development Agency, said the focus of the state government was to build the capacity of the average Edo Youth in order to equip him for the challenge of socials economic transformation of the state.
He however urged the trainees to take advantage of the supply gap in honey business to make fortunes.
IDRIS UMAR MOMOH, Benin City
