By Sagiru Ado Abubakar.

The Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) has on 3^rd August, 2017 organized a capacity building training for a group of women to enable them effectively participate in the YouWiN! Connect Enterprise Education business plan competition. YouWiN! Connect is a multimedia based relaunch of the YouWiN! Program of the Federal Ministry of Finance. It aims to support young entrepreneurs as they PLAN, START and GROW their businesses, by providing Enterprise Education as well as access to technical and consulting services. The program aims to promote entrepreneurship, job creation and wealth via enterprise education for young Nigerians. The capacity building training was organized under Job Placement Information Services (JOPIS) unit of CITAD which is a scheme by CITAD to assist youth looking for employment and entrepreneurship opportunities by bringing information about job opportunities to them. JOPIS unit noticed that women in the state do not know what is going on concerning federal government empowerment programs. Also, those aware of such programs lack the capacity to benefit from the programs.

The capacity building program held at CITAD’s training hall and was attended by over 40 participants from different part of the state. Among the participants were those that have their own existing businesses but lack the sources of capital to grow the businesses and employ more hands.  In his opening speech, Malam Sagiru Ado Abubakar, head of the JOPIS unit told the participant that Youwin program comprises two categories. Category one is for the entrepreneurial ventures which are typically newly emerged. The second category is for the applicants who already have registered businesses. He then encouraged the participants to extend what they learnt to others for wider coverage. Sagir added that, with this kind of program level of poverty and unemployment rates can be able to reduce in the state and the nation. He regretted that Kano State and other states in the north are far behind in comparison of our partners in the other part of the country in term of benefiting from federal government empowerment programs.

The program introduced the participants the importance of having accessible email address as it is prerequisite of the Youwin program. It also explained that applicants must have post-secondary school qualification, must be between the ages of 18 and 40, must be Nigerians and resident in Nigeria, applicants businesses must be domiciled in Nigeria, must not be an employee of the Nigerian Civil Service, must be willing to attend all trainings and mentoring exercises organized by the program and previous YouWiN awardees are not eligible to apply. Also, to apply, applicants must give their personal information, business information, business needs and upload means of identification and educational document.

Hajiya Dije Garba, Kano State Bureau of Statistics, Audu Bako Secretariat, Kano, made the closing remarks and vote of thanks at the end of the program. She described CITAD as progressive partner that always sources ways that help to uplift people in Kano and the entire region.