By Davies Iheamnachor, Port-Harcourt

The Federal Government has through the Ministry of Environment commissioned a cassava processing factory in  Korokoro Community, Tai Local Government Area of Rivers.

This project which was executed by the Hydroncarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, was part of efforts to restore livelihood in the old devastated Ogoni communities.

HYPREP in a tripartite collaboration with International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN) had already trained fifteen Ogoni youths in cassava processing and fabrication in March 2019.

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Speaking, the Minister of Environment, Dr. Mohammed Abubakar, represented by the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Dr. Marvin Dekil noted that the factory is a sustainability package for training and equipping Ogoni Youths in economic skills.

Abubakar who lauded the efforts of IITA and SDN, disclosed that HYPREP has developed a plan to group the Youths who would operate the factory into cooperatives to enable them access funds to set up their own business.

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He said: “Today is the continuation of that success story with the official commissioning of the cassava processing factory which after a three-month supervisory running of the factory by the IITA and SDN, would be completely handed over for the direct running by our pioneer fifteen graduates from the IITA.

“This factory is the sustainability package for the training which we promised that will enable you put to use the skills you have acquired for your benefit and that of your dependents.

” HYPREP has developed a plan to group the operators of the factory being the Ogoni youths into cooperatives to enable them access funds to set up their own businesses, engage and train more youths.”

Vanguard