By Shehu Danjuma
Zango (Katsina) – The Katsina State Government has said it empowered over 500,000 youths and women in the state through various empowerment programmes in four years.
Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State disclosed this while addressing women and youths in Zango Local Government Area on Thursday as part of his re-election campaign programme.
“We have empowered over 70,000 people under the state economic programme for small business vocational empowerment programme.
“We gave loans to 8,644 people under the medium enterprise development fund cooperatives.
“1,816 members of faith-based organisations got N20,000 each to start their own businesses and stop over-dependence on government for assistance.
“The government gave additional loans to 15,756 persons under the small and medium enterprise and cooperative scheme.
The governor revealed that 200,000 person were granted loans under the special adviser on women affairs to start their own businesses.
According to him, another set of N100,000 persons got loans through the office of his special adviser on girl-child programme.
“We also gave loans to 361 unemployed graduates to start their businesses as there are no white-collar jobs in the state.
“We granted loans to 2,600 youths that went through entrepreneurship capacity building programmes, and each person got N50,000 to commence his business,” he said
Earlier, the Chairman, APC Youth Wing, Ahmed Mohammed, thanked the governor for giving the youths the assistance to start their businesses in the state. (NAN)