About two thousand women have benefited from the entrepreneurship training organised by the Sokoto State Government as part of the measures to tackle poverty and reduce unemployment in the state.
The women, drawn from across the three senatorial zones of the state, were taught 48 different small scale business skills ranging from tailoring, soap making, beads manufacturing, farming, bags and shoe manufacturing and making of cakes and akara, known locally as kosai.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony held in Sokoto, Chairman of the state Zakat and Endowment Commission, Malam Lawal Maidoki, whose agency coordinated the training, said women were specifically targeted to adequately tackle high poverty prevalent in various homes.
He said apart from giving the participants cash grants to serve as start-up capital, working tools were also presented to the beneficiaries.
Maidoki said that the government was committed to tackling poverty and creating jobs, and would continue to engage all stakeholders to expand the scope of the training.
He said, “Zakat agencies in the world are now focusing attention on productive zakat. We don’t just share money to beneficiaries, we encourage them to pick a trade or two that will enable them become competitive in this ever-changing global landscape.”
The zakat committee chairman added that the commission would meet during the week with 80 youths trained in shoe making to explore ways of assisting them to gain access to finance from the Bank of Industries and the ethical investment arm of Lotus Capital Ltd.
Maidoki also commended Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal for his constant support to the state Zakat Commission.
