Mr Nnamdi Asomugha, Rivers Coordinator of National Directorate of Employment (NDE), on Friday said the directorate had commenced the training of 50 women in beads making and other decorative ornaments.

Asomugha told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt that the training was part of the directorate’s skills acquisition and job creation for women.

He said that the training would empower the women to engage in income generating activities in the state and encourage self-employment.

“The beneficiaries were drawn from the 23 local government areas of the state under the special training of Women Employment Branch (WEB).

“This programme is designed to empower the women to engage in self-employment and enhance household income.

“NDE’s focus is to alleviate poverty through empowerment of unskilled and unemployed youths and women through skills acquisition,” he said.

Asomugha said that the mandate of NDE was to generate mass employment by ensuring that the large pool of unemployed Nigerians were encouraged to acquire necessary skills to boost job creation.

He said that training and empowering unemployed people in the country would enable them compete with others in the labour market.

The coordinator advised the women to enhance their economic status in production and contribute as partners in the family and the society at large.

Miss Nancy Batubo, one of the beneficiaries, who spoke to NAN commended NDE for giving them the opportunity to acquire skills.

Batubo called on NDE to continue to organise programmes that would alleviate poverty in the country. (NAN)