Thousands of young Agric produce loaders, transporters and persons with disabilities (PWD) rolled out the drums to mark the 2024 International Youth Day (IYD) in states across Northern Nigeria as they celebrated new opportunities created by the WOFAN ICON2 Project to have decent and sustainable jobs.
SolaceBase reports that under the ICON2 intervention, WOFAN designed a mini project to create decent and sustainable job opportunities for two groups that have not been receiving adequate attention in major mainstream interventions in the agricultural sector.
These are loaders, transporters and PWD.
Across communities in Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Bauchi and Gombe states as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), 300 groups formed by the young loaders and transporters received cargo tricycles to enhance and dignify their job opportunities and also boast their income while 3,850 PWD with limited mobility received tricycles to improve their mobility and access to workspaces provided by the ICON2 project.
Speaking at one of the events in Kudai, Jigawa state, WOFAN Executive Director, Hajia Salamatu Garba explained that the WOFAN ICON 2 project is funded by the Mastercard Foundation to support 675,000 youths, across nine Nigerian states, over a 5-year period to develop and maintain sustainable livelihoods and have an improved quality of life, in line with the Foundation’s bold Young Africa Works-Nigeria (2021-2030) strategy to enable 10 million youth in Nigeria (including 7 million young women) to secure dignified and fulfilling employment.
The ED, represented by WOFAN’s Finance Manager, Abdulrasheed Abdulazeez noted that WOFAN and the Mastercard Foundation decided to carve out a mini project from the ICON2 Project to specifically target youth who are working as loaders and transporters as well as PWD because they are often given marginal attention by interventions.
“WOFAN saw the gaps and made a case for the expansion of the reach of the ICON2 Project to ensure loaders and transporters as well as more PWD benefited from the Project. These groups are not only vulnerable, but they are also mostly ignored. Our partners, the Mastercard Foundation agreed with us and activities tailored towards creating decent and sustainable job opportunities for youth in the two categories were designed by WOFAN”, she said.
The ED explained that in order to ensure that the youth in the two categories have a sure pathway to decent and sustainable job opportunities, they were mobilized to form groups of 30 members each. The groups received training on group formation and management dynamics as well as enterprise management. She further explained that, based on the training, the groups were able to form clusters and start businesses with the support of the Project.
She said, “The clusters formed business groups and started working together. While the loaders and transporters will now earn more income with their cargo tricycles provided by the Project, some of the PWD groups are now into the production of seeds which will be sold to other farmers in the community, some are into processing of rice, groundnut and maize or commercial fabrication of tools and equipment, and phone repairs in workspaces provided by the ICON2 Project after receiving training on production, processing and vocations.”
The ED noted that the mobilization, training and provision of pathways to job opportunities for the youth in these categories will lead to impactful changes, not only for them but also for the community at large.
Speaking earlier, the Chief Imam of Kudai, Gwani Alaramma Malam Isah commended WOFAN’s dedication to youth empowerment and supporting PWD.
He noted that WOFAN ICON2’s support for the young loaders and transporters as well as the PWD will make them self-reliant.
Also speaking at the occasion, Traditional Leader of Aujara (Hakimin Aujara), Alhaji Aminu Danmalam commended WOFAN’s transformative work in Jigawa State. He pledged his support for WOFAN and the Mastercard Foundation at all times.
The mini-project of the WOFAN ICON 2 intervention, funded by the Mastercard Foundation, is supporting 9,000 young loaders and transporters as well as 57,750 young persons with disabilities, across nine Nigerian states, to develop and maintain sustainable livelihoods and have an improved quality of life. The mini project is providing 300 cargo tricycles to loaders and transporters to enhance their access to decent job opportunities and supporting 385 seed production hubs formed by the PWD while also providing 385 workspaces for business and vocational developments. To promote dignified movement and improved access to workspaces by PWD with limited mobility, the intervention is providing 385 modified motorbikes and 3,850 tricycles.