The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has launched a £7 million technical training programme to empower young people with skills in the fields of electrical and mechanical engineering.
Known as the Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF)-VDMA, the programme is collaboration between ADF and VDMA, the German Association for Mechanical and Plant Engineering and its Foundation for Young Talent in Mechanical Engineering (NWS).
In his keynote address at the launch of the programme, Dangote identified vocational and technical skills as key levers for growth, specifically in the manufacturing sector and vital to the well-being of any economy.
He said, “Unfortunately, significant skills gaps exist in Nigeria, which is what this program is seeking to address.”
He said a large percentage of the 7 million euros investment will be for the specialised, leading-edge equipment that has been shipped from Germany and installed in five workshops purposely built for the programme at Dangote Academy in Obajana.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in his address at the event, said that the motto of the partnership: ‘Nigerian Industry meets German Engineering’, is apt, saying, the output of such a partnership cannot be anything other than transformational, for the young people of Nigeria and for the country’s economy.
He commended Dangote for wielding his influence positively to improve the lives and livelihood of Nigerians.
“No business person has single-handedly invested more in the Nigerian economy than Alhaji Dangote, with an extensive footprint that cuts across multiple sectors and regions of the country,” he said.
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