Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Niger Delta Development Commission, has started discussions with the Industrial Training Fund, in furtherance of the Commission’s training and skills acquisition programmes for youths of the region.
Speaking, the NDDC Interim Administrator, Mr Efiong Akwa, stressed the importance of manpower development in the quest to transform the region, noting that the Commission placed a lot of premium on industrial development and human capacity building.
The NDDC boss spoke during a visit to Port Harcourt office of ITF, expressed confidence that a partnership with the ITF would help to improve the skills and entrepreneurship capacity of youths in the Niger Delta region.
Akwa, represented by his Special Assistant on Youth Affairs, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, said that the Commission was making efforts to grow the skills of the youths locally rather than take them abroad for training.
“World-class training facilities are necessary to enhance the knowledge and skills of youths to be able to attend to today’s challenges.
“When you train a child the right way he doesn’t depart from it.
“We think that because of the growing economy of the Niger Delta and Nigeria, it is important that we begin to grow our own skills to be better able to manage our economy.
“We believe that the real resource of any country is not its minerals but the young men and women of the country.”
Responding, the Area Manager of ITF, Dr. Kemi Abayeh, said her organization was ready to kick start world-class training programmes in welding and fabrication, spraying, tiling and other craft to a professional level.
Abeyah said that ITF was placing emphasis training Nigerians in technical skills that would reduce the dependence on foreigners hired to come the region to perform the tasks.
She also disclosed that ITF was introducing a system of using mobile training trucks, which could train over 30 persons at a go, to reach many communities in the Niger Delta.
