NGO trains 1,000 youths on entrepreneurship in Cross River

The Coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), had trained over 1,000 youths on sustainable enterpreneurs in Cross River State.
Its The Co-ordinator, Odigha Odigha, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Monday, in Lagos.
According to him, the training is one of the ways to sustain the forests in Cross River State.
”The Coalition of NGOs realised that youth unemployment is the main driver of deforestation in every community in the country.
“This is because after graduation there is no work for the youths so the forests becomes the first casualty for those living around the area.
“Youths turn to the forests for firewood, timber, game-hunting and other useful materials as means of livelihood.
“Telling them to stop the activities that endanger the forest reserve, they need to have alternative sources of livelihood and that is what the entrepreneurship training is out to achieve.
“Over 1,000 youths in Cross River State have benefited from training in poultry, renewable energy, oil palm farming, bee-keeping and mushrooms farming among others,” he said.
Odigha said after the training those that got approval for their farming projects would be assisted with funds to set them up.
He said that the training would be extended to Imo, Ebonyi, Abia and other neighbouring states as they come to Cross River for timber and firewood.
The Co-ordinator said that Cross River state paraded the best quality honey, because of the diversity of its vegetation.
According to him, the NGOs were looking up to those who received training in bee-keeping to scale it up to an industry.
Odigha said that the training was to prepare the state for the expected earnings from Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD.)