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From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Uche Nnaji, has said that Nigeria has lost billions of naira due to lack of certification of skilled artisans in the country.
Nnaji said this when the Association of Computer Village Merchants led by its president, Anthony Nwakeze paid him a courtesy visit on Thursday, in his Abuja office.
He said the Ministry is collaborating with Organised Private Sector in the Science and Technology Eco-System to set up Information Communication Technology Hubs (ICT) in the six geo-political zones for capacity building and certification of skilled artisans in the country.
He explained that Presidential Executive Order No. 5 which promotes local content in planning and execution of projects is set to transform the country’s economy and grow her gross domestic products (GDP).
Nnaji commended the association for training over 3000 talented youths as part of her efforts to equip them for certification so as to compete favourably with their foreign counterparts.
He further stated that the ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with private sector, with its expertise and resources which will play a vital role in shaping the nation’s workforce towards addressing the country’s challenges and achieving the dream of Nigerians.
To this end, the minister assured the association of readiness to collaborate with it in order to promote local content, empower Nigerian professionals towards creation of jobs.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mr. James Sule, commended the association of its contribution towards the development of the country in the areas of job opportunities for youths.
Earlier, Nwakeze, said “Ikeja Computer Village, Lagos is the largest Information Communication Technology (ICT) Market in Africa with an annual turnover of two billion dollars. It has so far provided employment for over 500,000 graduates, 300,000 artisans within the last 20 years.”
Soft Ware Development, entrepreneurial knowledge amongst others.
Prince Anthony Nwakeze emphasised that the essence of the visit is to collaborate with the Ministry in the area of building the capacity by training and re-training of Nigerian youths and professionals in specialise digital skills for research and development.
