The Ekiti State Government has launched an intensive eight-month vocational training and empowerment programme for 100 Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).
The initiative, flagged off on Wednesday, at the Ekiti State Skills Acquisition Centre in Ado-Ekiti, is part of Governor Biodun Oyebanji’s “Shared Prosperity” agenda.
The programme aims to transform beneficiaries from dependents into active contributors to the state’s economy.
The training covers six high-demand vocational areas carefully selected to provide sustainable livelihoods for the participants.
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The Vocational Tracks Include: tailoring & fashion design, catering & confectionery, shoe-making & leather works, hairdressing & cosmetology, information & communication technology (ICT) and soap-making & chemical allied products.
The Special Adviser to the governor on Special Education and Social Inclusion, Adetoun Agboola, highlighted the steady growth of the initiative.
Agboola said in 2023 they recorded 30 participants, in 2024, 60 participants and in 2026, 100 participantsThe programme structure has also been refined.
This year, students will undergo five months of intensive centre-based learning, followed by three months of hands-on apprenticeship under the mentorship of established master craftsmen in their chosen fields.
To ensure the trainees remain focused, the state government confirmed that all 100 beneficiaries—drawn from all 16 Local Government Areas—will receive monthly stipends to cover logistics and basic needs for the eight-month duration and a comprehensive equipment and toolsets distributed upon graduation to help them launch their businesses immediately.
“His Excellency does not see PWDs as people who should be dependent; he sees them as people who can be empowered and contribute meaningfully to the economy,” Agboola stated.
The programme was flagged off by the Commissioner for Investment, Trade, Industry and Cooperatives, Tayo Adeola, representing the governor.
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Other top officials in attendance included the Permanent Secretaries of Information, Women Affairs, and Social Development, signalling a unified government approach to social inclusion.
Representing the beneficiaries, Bunmi Afeniforo thanked the governor for providing a platform that offers them a “voice and a choice” in their financial future.
