By Salisu Sani-Idris
Abuja – The Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA), says it will create 190,000 jobs for the residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as part of measures to mitigate poverty in the territory.
The agency’s Managing Director, Alhaji Muhammad Tukur, made the disclosure at the presentation of start-up kits to 97 beneficiaries of skills acquisition scheme, on Thursday in Abuja.
Tukur said that the agency had concluded its strategic implementation plan for 2020-2023, where various projects and activities were identified.
“Our target is to put in place 190,000 jobs for the residents of the FCT. This is with a view to keying into the vision of President Muhammadu Buhari in providing 100 Million jobs to Nigerians.
“We can achieve these lofty targets with the continued support of the FCT Administration.”
He said that between 2015 to date, the agency had supported over 73,450 individuals and businesses out of which 90 per cent are youths.
He added that so far in this year, a total of 366 trainees received grant worth N10 million from the AEA, to support their ventures
Tukur also said that the agency had supported 31,100 rural entrepreneurs in 160 communities with capacity building trainings, access to finance, provision of equipment and other critical areas.
“The agency has designed to expand its grant programme to support the provision of work tools, which will eliminate drudgery, share new technology to rural entrepreneurs and finance start-ups, who are confronted, with inadequate acces to finance,” he said.
The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello, represented by his Chief of Staff, Bashir Mai-Bornu, urged the beneficiaries to make the best use of the opportunity given to them, as the Next Level phase of development had started in earnest.
He commended AEA for painstakingly working forwards FCTA’s objective of economic empowerment to residents, and urged investors to partner with the agency in establishing business incubation entres in the FCT. (NAN)
