No fewer than 720 women and youths in Auchi, Edo, were on Friday empowered under the Federal Government’s Micro Enterprises Enhancement Scheme.
The Edo Coordinator of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Mrs Ayo Edegbai, gave the figure during disbursement of N10,000 each to the beneficiaries.
Edegbai said that the scheme was designed to assist women and youths to improve their micro enterprises.
“It was discovered that women could, with as little as N5,000, enhance their micro enterprises.
“Today, N10,000 is given to each of these women and youths to improve their businesses.
“It is expected that, in no distant time, N10,000 will become N20,000 and N20,000 will become N40,000 and so on,” she said.
Edegbai said that the Federal Government was committed to job creation and poverty reduction in Edo and the country at large.
“Unemployment is widespread.
“Youth restiveness, high crime rate and increasing level of poverty are manifestations of high unemployment rate,” she said.
The coordinator urged the beneficiaries not to `despise their small beginning’, adding that with patience, perseverance, persistence, discipline and commitment, the `sky will not be their limit but their starting point’.
“All eyes are on you to make judicious use of this rare opportunity to make it in life,” she added.