Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru’s agricultural policy is being implemented as a comprehensive human capital development and economic empowerment strategy aimed at equipping Ebonyians with practical skills, creating jobs and promoting sustainable livelihoods across the state.
According to a statement by the Governor’s Special Assistant on New Media, Leo Ekene Oketa, the administration in 2024 sponsored two batches of 200 Ebonyians to the Masters Skills Training Centre, Agbani, Enugu State, where they received training in food production, processing and distribution.
The beneficiaries were also provided with ₦3 million each to establish and expand their agricultural enterprises after completing the training.
The statement noted that the initiative is separate from another programme through which 200 Ebonyians were trained at CSS Farms, Gora, Nasarawa State, where they acquired knowledge and practical skills in modern agriculture and agribusiness value chains.
According to the statement, many of the beneficiaries of the various agricultural empowerment programmes are now operating businesses and building sustainable livelihoods across Ebonyi State.
Oketa said the initiative reflects the administration’s approach of combining skills acquisition with financial support to enable beneficiaries to translate training into productive economic activities.
He added that the beneficiaries are being monitored by the Ebonyi State Ministry of Human Capital Development to track their progress and ensure that the objectives of the empowerment programmes are achieved.
The administration believes that investing in agriculture goes beyond increasing food production, as it also provides opportunities for entrepreneurship, employment generation, poverty reduction and broad-based economic development.
