Covid effect: Sama foundation embarks on skill acquisition for youths

By Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo

In a bid to cushion in the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on youths, the Captain Dafieko Sama Foundation is embarking on nationwide skill acquisition training for our unemployed youths, using agriculture as a major corridor for job/wealth creation in a post covid-19 era.

According to the vice president of Dafieko Sama foundation, Mr Dafe Sama, the training is designed to have classroom session and an online platform for a far reaching participation.

Sama explained that with the Nigerian economy  in its second recession in under four years due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 Pandemic which has paralyzed global commerce for most part of 2020 and as the world receive the development of a vaccine with much hope, the economic wounds inflicted by the disease will take a very long time to heal.

“We have keenly followed and commend the developmental strides of government at different levels as it relates to youth engagement, poverty eradication and job creation. We believe that this proposal will be of immense value to government’s positive agenda”

Sama noted that more people will lose their jobs as a growing number of business organizations either shut down or rescale but stated that fortunately, the federal government has realized the implications of the emerging developments and has started taking steps to not only prop up consumption but also encourage the youth to embrace entrepreneurship.

According to him, the FG through the Central Bank and other Development Finance Agencies has set up a number of interventions to encourage young people set up small and medium enterprises and by so doing employ regretting to that the dearth of capacity has been a major setback.

“Many of the people for whom these interventions are intended are unable to access them because they cannot demonstrate sufficient entrepreneurial knowledge or lack adequate experience. Many cannot develop business plans to justify their needs for funding. Yet a good number of others are not even aware of the existence of these opportunities”

Sama remarked that this state of affairs is not only worsening the unemployment situations but also not helping government to realize its objectives adding that most significance is the fact that youth unemployment and mass poverty is helping to worsen security issues across the country.

“In this regard there is a fundamental need for a scheme that will help individuals build the necessary capacity they need to benefit from these funds.

The training we are proposing is in collaboration with Felicyl and Associates. In our collaborative relationship, The Sama Foundation will provide entrepreneurship training for the youths.  For the second part which involves setting up the trainees in businesses in the areas of their vocational interest, Felicyl and Associates  will help to source funding, particularly under the Central Bank of Nigeria Development Fund program”

Sama explained that Felicyl and Associates  has assured  that the program will qualify for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Fund (MAMEDF) and some of the Agricultural Credit, the while the scheme  will offer fish farming, Livestock/Poultry Farming

Cassava Farming/Garri Processing

Palm palm, among others OilProductionatering/Confectionery