In pursuant to its programme of aggressive women empowerment, the Niger Delta Development Commission in collaboration with Shell Petroleum Development Company is set to commence skills development programme for rural women across the states of the region.

To this end the Directorate of Youths, Sports, Culture and Women Affairs has release plans for the programme centered on women between the ages of 18 and 35 with at least first school leaving certificates.

According to the plan which covers participant, trainers with modern facilities and management consultants, interested person are to collect forms from NDDC state offices or SPDC community interface coordinators in the region.

It stated that such skills as hats, bread making, tye and dye, juice processing interior decoration, soft furnishing candle, soap, detergents, pomade making, hair weaving, fixing, sale of attachment/weave-on.

Others are cloth weaving, basket/mat making, confectionaries, beatification, horticulture, crafts, photography/video graphy and cosmetology.

Also listed are product packaging and preservation, production of air freshner and detergent, tailoring and any other income generating initiatives.

Closing date for the collection and submission of forms has been fixed for the 31st of January 2012..