Are you aware that the German Government recently went into partnership with an influential private organisation in Nigeria to organise business training for our youth? Well, the programme’s focus is on addressing the skill shortage in all the major areas of our economy.
But whose best to transform the economy than the up and coming generation of informed young and buoyant people cut out for more extraordinary things in the near future. The major reason for the youth empowerment programme.
And if you’re still wondering which organisation selflessly embarked on the mission to equip Nigerian youth with the technical know-how on skills to address economic challenges, think no further, as the Aliko Dangote Foundation has gone the extra mile to ensure the nation maintains its position as largest economy in Africa.
The Business Training
The foundation joined forces with Germany’s VDMA, fully known as German Association for Mechanical and Plant Engineering, with the Foundation for Young Talents to drive a technical training programme worth seven million euros.
A large percentage of the programme concentrates on specific and trending equipment the potential trainees are expected to work with during the training.
The beauty of this programme is that the German Government has already concluded arrangements in transporting and installing the accessories in five different locations at the Dangote Academy in Obajana, where the various training will occur.
The empowerment programme will see that all beneficiaries enjoy seamless sessions, garnering practical knowledge, field experiences and hands-on-deck techniques on operable devices and technologies in general.
The training is meant to help participants acquire applicable skills that will be applied to various sectors in Nigeria to improve productivity and creativity. This knowledge is precisely what the country needs at the moment, seeing our economy has been heavily criticised for suffering at the hands of non-experts.
Another point to take home from the training is that it contains vocational and technical skill acquisition, one-hundred per cent vital to the health of our economy and will further serve as crucial tools of progress in Nigeria.
The progress will bring about growth in the manufacturing sector, significant enough to bridge the industry gap it aims to fix.
In the meantime, all the beneficiaries who participate in the vocational training are expected to return as complete professionals. Several other packages aspire to transform them into influential individuals to society, having identical or similar quality just as their counterparts in Germany.
Germany is expected to support the programme with 3.6 million euros to promote the ambition and ensure it comes to a realisation since the training has been running for the past six years.
The Project had the necessary formalities where a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, was signed to establish a medium beneficial to Nigeria and Germany.
Apart from making the youth professionals, part of the training objectives is also to polish their expertise and package them as bankable utilities in the labour market.
Another target is to have both countries exchange resource persons in profitable areas and fill up the missing link where there is a shortfall.
While there are numerous other programmes similar to what both countries are organising, the Nigerian youth have been encouraged to seize the opportunity and use the knowledge passed by the partner nation to take Nigeria to a higher position in the world’s most impactful and resourceful countries.