FG, Katsina Agency Launch Vocational Skills and Empowerment Programme Across 20 LGAs

By Zaharaddeen Ishaq Abubakar

The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the National Mass Education Commission (NMEC), in collaboration with the Katsina State Agency for Mass Education, has launched a vocational training and empowerment initiative targeting out-of-school youths and adults across 20 local government areas of Katsina State.

The programme is designed to modernise traditional skills and provide tools for self-reliance. Beneficiaries—men and women aged 15 and above—will receive hands-on training in various trades along with start-up kits to help them establish small-scale businesses.

On Wednesday, 17 September 2025, a joint federal and state government delegation led by Hajiya Bilkisu Muhammad Kaikai, Director-General of the Katsina State Agency for Mass Education, embarked on an inspection tour—referred to as a Data Capture Exercise—to assess the progress of the scheme. The exercise commenced in Katsina metropolis, covering designated training centres.

Speaking during the monitoring visit, Hajiya Kaikai revealed that the initial federal government allocation covered only three local government areas. However, after reviewing the scale of need across Katsina’s 34 LGAs, her office sought and obtained approval from Governor Dikko Umar Radda to expand the programme to an additional 17 LGAs. This adjustment, she said, ensured that out-of-school youths and adults in communities across the state’s three senatorial districts would benefit.

According to her, the expansion demonstrates the state government’s commitment to making the programme inclusive and accessible to a wider population. She added that the empowerment scheme is not only a step toward reducing unemployment but also a strategic investment in skills development and poverty alleviation.