By Francis Akinnodi

As part of its efforts in ensuring that there is a job for teeming unemployed youths across the country, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), has embarked on a five-day training of fifty unemployed youths in Small Stock (Goat) Production Training Scheme, through the Rural Employment Promotions (REP) department in Ogun State.

Speaking during the recent flag-off of small stock (goat) production, the Director General of the National Directorate of Employment, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo stressed that the engagement of unemployed youths in the goat production business, along its value chain, plays an important role in the socio-economic, and religious life of the farming communities.

He noted that the training would help in terms of provision income and supply of food for the local population and the country at large.

The Director General who was represented by the Ogun State Coordinator of NDE, Mr Alao Babatunde Ismail maintained that goat production is an economically viable business venture because its value chain for commercial production has great employment potential. It enjoys a very wide market share with all the products in high demand.

He further reiterated that each skill area would be anchored by different experienced Resource persons in order to ensure their proficiency at the end of the training period.

He therefore, implored the participants to strive to participate effectively so that at the end of the training, the objective(s) of the training would be optimally achieved.

Welcoming the fortunate beneficiaries to the orientation programme, Ogun State NDE Coordinator, Alao said, ‘Goat is a source of meat, milk, hide and skin and fertilizers from dropping. The skin is used by tanning industries for the manufacture of leather for local and foreign exchange earnings.

The NDE Ogun State HOD of REP department, Mr. Omitogun Azeez said, ‘The training curriculum is structured to include topics, such as introduction to Goat farming, feeding of goats, management of goat, prevention and control of disease,  processing/packaging of goat meat, and marketing of goat products, among others’.

Meanwhile, Chairman, Ondo State Sheep and Goat Association, Ehinola Folajimi commended the initiative, describing it as a way to improve the comparative advantage of goat production in the south west region of Nigeria.

“If the programme is done in the other five states: Ondo, Osun, Ekiti, Oyo and Lagos. The goat value chain would be improved as well as its comparative advantage. It is a welcome development.”