By Ahmad Muhammad, Bauchi

The Khamzid Charity Foundation has unveiled plans to empower 100,000 youths across Nigeria through vocational training and entrepreneurship programmes aimed at reducing poverty, promoting self-reliance and creating sustainable livelihoods.

Chairman of the Foundation, Khalil Ibrahim Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi, disclosed this during the inauguration of officials and the 20 Local Government Coordinators of the Tijjaniyya Youth Economic Development Initiative (TYEDI) held at Dark Real Event Centre in Bauchi.

He said the initiative would commence with 20,000 beneficiaries in Bauchi State, describing the programme as a long-overdue intervention designed to complement the spiritual heritage of the Tijjaniyya community with economic empowerment.

"We are a people rich in faith, discipline and numbers, yet for too long we have lagged behind in worldly affairs, not because we lack ability, but because we have not struck the right balance between this life and the hereafter," Khalil said.

According to him, TYEDI was established to bridge that gap by equipping young people with practical skills that would enable them to become productive and financially independent.

He urged beneficiaries to see the initiative not as an act of charity but as a collective responsibility to uplift their communities.

"Our forefathers left us a legacy of knowledge, discipline and unity. It is our responsibility to add economic strength to that legacy so our youths can thrive both spiritually and economically," he said.

Also speaking, the Programme Coordinator of the Foundation, Muhammad Abubakar Dahir, said TYEDI would train 100,000 youths in market-driven skills while building a network of one million active and economically productive members across the country.

He explained that participants would receive training in 22 vocational and enterprise skills, including agriculture, livestock production, digital technology, tailoring, shoe and bag making, printing, home production, finance and other technical trades.

According to him, beneficiaries will also receive starter packs, business support tools, financial assistance and continuous mentorship to enable them establish sustainable businesses.

"We train young people, support them to start businesses, connect them with their peers and mentor them until they become established entrepreneurs. Empowering one individual creates opportunities for many others around them," Dahir said.

He explained that all beneficiaries would undergo a comprehensive verification process down to their wards and polling units to ensure transparency and prevent diversion of the programme.

Dahir said Bauchi was selected to pilot the initiative because it is the birthplace of the Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi community and has the strongest organisational structures for implementation.

He added that after the Bauchi pilot, the programme would be expanded across the North-East, North-West and North-Central geopolitical zones.

The coordinator urged governments, development partners, philanthropists and other stakeholders to support the initiative, describing youth empowerment as a critical strategy for tackling unemployment, poverty and social insecurity.

"A generation that is skilled and economically empowered is a generation that builds society rather than becoming vulnerable to crime and other social vices," he said.

The Khamzid Charity Foundation is a registered humanitarian and development organisation operating across Northern Nigeria. Through the Tijjaniyya Youth Economic Development Initiative (TYEDI), the Foundation promotes skills acquisition, enterprise development, humanitarian assistance and community development among members of the Sheikh Dahiru Usman Bauchi community and other vulnerable groups.