Kwara State government is to inject about two billion Naira into its micro credit scheme in the next three years with a view to alleviating poverty in the state.

The State Governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, disclosed this on Thursday when the participants of the ‘Senior Executive Course 38’ of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru in Jos, paid him a courtesy visit.

Maintaining that youths and women would be prioritised in the scheme, the governor also revealed his intention to generate 20,000 agro-related jobs annually, in order to create a successor-generation of commercial farmers.

Describing poverty as a universal issue resulting from a state of short or long term deprivation and insecurity in basic human needs, he restated that poverty reduction was top on the priority list of his government.

According to Governor Ahmed, "Today, many countries are faced with the challenge of poverty. Nigeria is not an exception.

"According to the 2015 Human Development Index, Nigeria ranks 152 out of 188 countries in 2014. Thus, it has become imperative we find ways of ameliorating this scourge.

"Consequently, one of the cardinal objectives of this administration is to improve the lives of our people in tangible ways.

"In our mission towards the reduction of poverty in the state, we have identified agriculture as one of the keys to economic prosperity", he said.

In an earlier remark, the team leader of the participants, Professor Celestine Bassey, who was represented by Brigadier General Daniel Chinoko, said that they were mandated by President Muhammadu Buhari to carry out a study on a theme: "Strengthening Institutional Mechanism for Poverty Reduction and Inclusiveness Development".