Rivers: NDE retrains 50 post- SADTS beneficiaries on KASH Model
Barth Ndubuwah, Port Harcourt
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE), Rivers State Branch, has flagged off a 3-day retraining programme on Knowledge, Ability Skill and Habits (KASH) for 50 beneficiaries who had previously undergone training in agriculture, under the Sustainable Agricultural Development Training Scheme (SADTS).
Addressing the participants Wednesday in Port Harcourt on behalf of the Director General (DG) of NDE, Mallam Abubakar Nuhu Fikpo, the Rivers State Coordinator, Mrs Maureen Okeji, said the essence of the programme is to update the knowledge of the post SADTS beneficiaries with recent information in the agricultural sector.
The DG said based on the retraining, it is expected that the beneficiaries will arm themselves with modern methods of agricultural technics to grow their businesses and better their lots.
“This training is for 50 prospective beneficiaries of post- Sustainable Agricultural Development Training Scheme,(SADTS). K A. S. H is an acronym for Knowledge, Ability, Skills and Habits. The aim of using this model is to bridge the gap in the lives of our already trained beneficiaries by updating their knowledge with recent information within the sector. The importance of training and retraining cannot be over emphasised.
“Therefore this training is to measure the abilities of our farmers in improving their skills using modern approaches which would help them exhibit the right habits in the agriculture sector,” the DG explained.
Mallam Fikpo equally said that seasoned resource persons have been a prepared to lecture the participants on several aspects of the agricultural sector. These include, Government Agric policies and impact on employment creation.
Others are place of improved varieties/inputs for maximum productivity, economic importance of raising livestock, weed and pest control, as well as business plan.
The DG urged the beneficiaries to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the 3-day retraining or orientation programme to grow their businesses.
In her own remarks, the President of Rivers State Apex Farmers Cooperative, Dr. (Mrs) Anita Worgu, said if farmers do their work well, there will be no hunger in the land. She noted that there is no crop that cannot grow in Rivers State and so there are no excuses for failure.
Mrs Worgu stressed the need for every farmer to belong to a cooperative, which she said has a lot of benefits.
Also speaking, the Financial Secretary of Apex Farmers Cooperative, Mr Isaac Ovie, task the participants to explore the social media in getting useful information to enhance their businesses. He urged the farmers to stop wasting their data on frivolities in the internet.
Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, Engr Igwe Ikpendu thanked the DG of NDE and the entire Directorate for the opportunity given to them to acquire training. He promised that they will not let them down.
Earlier in her vote of thanks, the State Head of Department of Rural Employment Promotion (REP), Mrs. Owanaba Amachree Omofaye. thanked the participants for coming and wished them safe journey
