A nongovernmental organisation, Arewa Entrepreneurship Initiative (AEI), has unveiled an empowerment programme in Kano State targeting women and youths across the country.
The intervention, which is supported by the federal government and some international donor agencies, is planning to provide advocacy, sensitisation, mentorship and economic empowerment to help alleviate poverty, especially in northern Nigeria.
Speaking during the inauguration of the Kano State chapter, its founder and former Commissioner for Commerce, Aminu Bello, said the organisation’s intervention was a non-political and non-tribal movement.
“We realised that the government nowadays cannot give everybody a job, as some states cannot even pay salaries of their workers, but with entrepreneurship, I think we can give our support in reducing the poverty rate, especially in this part of the country.
“Apart from training, we will also help them with appropriate financial support. We are still registering new members and so far more than 3,000 have registered with us in Kano State.”
Bello, who noted that most of the security challenges of banditry, kidnapping and insurgency affecting northern Nigeria were as a result of poverty and joblessness, said interventions like these would go a long way in addressing the problem from the grassroots.
He said the NGO would work with government and nongovernmental organisations, international donor agencies as well as other local development partners to mobilise resources for implementation.
