Clement James 
No fewer than 400 youths in Ikom, Central Senatorial District of Cross River State, are undergoing entrepreneurial training on various skills, courtesy of the Cross River state branch of the Cocoa Association of Nigeria (CAN).
The programme, according to state chairman of Cocoa Association of Nigeria, Mr Buba Pascal-Kejie, who spoke to journalists yesterday, is meant to empower youths in area in order to take them off the street.
Pascal-Kejie explained that the training would equip the youths with practical skills, make them self-reliant and reduce overdependence on white-collar jobs.
He said: “We have initiated a skill acquisition programme to take over 400 youths out from the streets. We will use the centre to train young people to acquire certain skills in different areas of human endeavours so that they can better themselves at the end of the day.
“We are going to train boys to stop cocoa theft. We will assist them to acquire skills in welding, carpentry, bricklaying, among other areas.
