Skills Acquisition: Lagos State Development Agency Trains Youths In Coconut Craft

The Lagos State Coconut Development Agency (LASCODA) is training about 100 youths, retirees and women to use coconut shells in art and craft to earn income.

The training, which begun last week for the first set of 20 beneficiaries at the Farm Service Centre, Oko-Oba Agege, would last for five weeks to upskill 100 participants.

Speaking at the opening of the training last Monday, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, represented by the General Manager, LASCODA, Dapo Olakulehin, said the beneficiaries were among 15,000 youths and women to be trained this year in agricultural-related businesses.

She said it is one of many agricultural empowerment, training and skill development programmes lined up by the Ministry of Agriculture for year 2021 with the overall objectives of creating job opportunities for more than 15,000 youths and women before the end of the year.

General Manager LASCODA, Olakulehin urged the participants to take the training seriously as it had the potential to change their finances for the better and make them employers of labour.

Assistant Director, Planning, Monitoring and evaluation, LASCODA, Olatunji Hamzat, said in addition to learning the craft, the beneficiaries would also be taught how to run successful businesses.