By Lilian Silas
Youths have been urged to embrace digital marketing to expand their businesses, skills improvement and explore new economic opportunities.
The Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Southern Kaduna Aid Foundation, SKAID, Rear Admiral Ferguson Bobai, rtd., gave the charge in Kaduna at an entrepreneurship and digital marketing workshop organised by the foundation in partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland.
The workshop attracted fifty participants in Kaduna, following a similar exercise in Kafanchan, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to one hundred.
Rear Admiral Bobai said the foundation was committed to supporting the people of Southern Kaduna through entrepreneurship training, vocational skills acquisition and educational assistance.
He explained that about twenty trainees were currently acquiring skills in solar and electrical installation, beauty and makeup at the Andy and Maryam Yakubu Skills Acquisition Centre in Zango, Kaduna State.
He added that the trainees will receive starter packs upon completion of their programmes to help them establish their businesses.
The SKAID chairman, however, identified inadequate funding as a major challenge, calling for increased government support and partnerships to enable the foundation to reach more beneficiaries.
In a remarks, the Executive Director of the Foundation, Mr. Bello Hosea Bisalla, said SKAID was established in July 2024 to promote sustainable development through interventions in education, healthcare, agriculture, entrepreneurship, democracy and good governance.
He disclosed that the Foundation had reached about six thousand people through medical outreaches, awarded full scholarships to approximately thirty-six students and supported micro and small-scale businesses through training and grants.
Mr Bisalla stressed that the Foundation measured its success by the impact of its interventions on individuals and communities rather than the number of beneficiaries.
Also speaking, a member of the Board of Trustees, Mrs. Sarah Amos Gandu, said the workshop was fully funded by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland.
She added that the foundation planned to sustain the training and introduce a mentorship programme to help participants apply the knowledge acquired and overcome business challenges.
Some participants expressed satisfaction with the training, saying it had broadened their understanding of digital marketing, customer engagement and strategies for expanding their businesses beyond their immediate locations.
Participants will receive certificates, while the proposed mentorship programme would provide further guidance for business growth.
Editing By Godwin Duru
