NEDC trains North-East scavengers in stoves, briquette production
The North-East Development Commission (NEDC) has commenced one week of training for 30 participants from the six states that made up the North-East geo-political zone (Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba, and Yobe States) as part of efforts to create employment opportunities for youths in the zone.
The training is being convened by a team of consultants from the African Xpediant Global Vision Limited and Clean-Climate Limited and is held at the Conference Hall in Bauchi.
The artisans and scavengers were trained in the fabrication of efficient stoves and briquette production from agricultural and domestic waste in line with the climate change and climatic conditions of the environment.
While declaring the training open yesterday, the Head, Environment and Natural Resources of the NEDC, Mr Adamu M. Lawan, explained that the commission embarked on the training in order to take a number of youths out of the street by providing them with an avenue to be self-employed.
Lawan said “Since the inception of the commission as you know our main mandate is to see to the development of the North-East, and part of the development is job creation and we have seen that there are so many graduates in the street without jobs.
“Because there are no more white-collar jobs available in the country, we started thinking outside the box on what we can do. This training you are seeing is a waste to wealth programme. We are trying to teach them how to fabricate energy-efficient stoves which are environmentally friendly and acceptable all over the world.
“The model of these stoves was initially adopted in India. The trainer here was in Kenya and he emerged as one of the best in West Africa for fabrication of these stoves. So, we feel that this is a very good idea and became expedient for us in the NEDC to train our people in the North-East so that they will be producing it and sell in order to earn a decent living. That was the concept that prompted us to organise this training.”
“Most of the stoves we are using emit carbon monoxide, which is dangerous to health but this kind of stove has been tested, the briquettes they are going to use will be sourced from solid waste and agricultural waste. So, they are going to be treated into becoming the charcoal that will be used. This is environmentally friendly, that is why I said that it is not going to negatively impact the environment.”
He called on the participants to take the training seriously and pay attention to the presentation so that they would come out better and ready for self-employment.
Lawan also charged the participants to take the opportunity given to them seriously because only five persons were selected from each state in the North-East. He said that at the end of the training every participant will be receive the necessary starter packs to establish themselves.
“From here if they do very well, we can now replicate, maybe before the end of the year 2022, we will do with more participants from the six states.” He stated.
Some of the participants expressed their happiness for being selected to participate in the training, and promised to make a positive turnaround in their lives and become self-employed.
