No fewer than 1,231 youths and women in Kaduna State have benefitted from free business registration, Point-of-Sale (POS) machines, and other empowerment opportunities.
The largesse was doled out to the youths through the Challenge Fund for Youth Employment (CFYE) project implemented by ThriveAgric in partnership with a Microfinance Bank.
The initiative, supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is designed to tackle unemployment and promote financial inclusion by engaging beneficiaries as trader agents and climate champions.
Mr Uzoma Alika disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the sidelines of the Annual Gender and Youth Advocacy Programme in Zaria.Media monitoring tools
Alika, Head of Operations at ThriveAgric, described the programme as part of a broader national effort to place young people and women at the centre of economic growth.
“Today’s event is a powerful demonstration of what is possible when we invest in the potential of our youth and women.
“Beyond providing training and financial tools, we are raising a new generation of advocates who will champion inclusive growth in their communities across Nigeria,” Alika said.
He added that the advocacy series, themed ‘From Potential to Opportunity: Driving Gender-Inclusive Youth Employment’, was being implemented in Kaduna, Bauchi, Benue, Niger, and Plateau.
According to him, the initiative combines ThriveAgric’s digital agriculture solutions with Crust Microfinance Bank’s tailored financial services to equip entrepreneurs with credit, market access, and climate-smart agriculture knowledge.
Beneficiaries at the event shared testimonies of transitioning from subsistence farming to profitable agribusinesses, crediting the programme for increased income, structured markets, and improved resilience to climate change.
Mr Timitayo Adebayo, Kaduna State Supervisor for Crust Microfinance Bank, said the project identified a key challenge faced by the young entrepreneurs.
He added that one of such challenges was the lack of statutory business registration of their business with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the project intervened by facilitating free CAC registration for participants.
“In addition to business registration, the project also empowered 350 beneficiaries with POS terminals and linked them to capital to strengthen and sustain their enterprises,” he said.
Similarly, Mr Mayowa Moses, the Kaduna State Lead Supervisor for the CFYE project, disclosed that the initiative had created jobs for over 1,000 youths and women across seven local government areas in the state.
“Some of the beneficiaries are engaged as trader agents in farm commodities and inputs such as fertilizers and grains, while others serve as climate champions advocating climate-smart agricultural practices.
“The project also provides them with salaries and transport allowances. What we are doing now is evaluating the impact of the support and knowledge they have received on their livelihoods,” Moses said.
