9 Nigerians Awarded 45,000 US Dollars Small Grant On Job Creation

                                         
Nine Nigerians have been awarded a total grant of $45,000 to undertake various entrepreneurial projects under the US Alumni Small Grant Award.
Mr Bill Strassberger, Cultural Affairs Officer, US Embassy in Abuja, presented the award to the recipients on Thursday on behalf of the US Government.


Strassberger said the projects would focus mainly on job creation and entrepreneurial opportunities for youths in northern Nigeria.
He said that a total of $95,000 had so far been disbursed to 19 Nigerian beneficiaries since the grant’s inception in 2012.
According to him, the small grants of 5,000 each will be used to support alumni community projects intended to empower at-risk youths in the northern part of the country.
He explained that youths would be trained in such skills as tailoring, bead making, fish farming, among others.
“They will also be provided with start-up funds after the training to enable them earn a living,” he said.
A recipient and Kaduna-based journalist, Elizabeth Anche, told the News Agency of Nigeria that her project tagged, “Dress for Life”, would target less-privileged young girls in four communities in southern Kaduna.
Anche said 30 young girls would receive training in hair-dressing, manicure and pedicure under the scheme after which a small start-up grant would be provided them.
Anche is a 2008 International Visitors and Leadership Programme alumna.
Another recipient, Kingsley Banguell, said he would work with 25 youths in Lugbe community in Abuja to develop multi-media skills and tailoring under a project tagged, “Skills House Lugbe”.
“They would learn photography, web-design, video production and tailoring; basically they do not need an office space to start-up a business.”
Banguell said the project would also mentor young people on how to effectively run small scale businesses.