NEDEP: Lokoja gets model skills centre

The Director General/Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Longmas Sambo Wapmuk, gave this indication while speaking with Daily Trust at the sideline of an award ceremony by the foundation for transparency and accountability.
Longmas said: “Training is already going on in our model centres in Kano, Lagos and Abuja.  Our new centre in Lokoja will come on stream in April. We are training in five trade areas. We are focused on establishing skills centers in all the states of the federation.”
He said that under the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP), the ITF is expected to set up skills council in all the states of the federation and work in conjunction with the state governments and the organised private sector for the council’s operation.
“We are now working also with the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (SMEDAN), the Bank of Industry (BOI) and even the Ministry of Education to determine the kind of skills required.
Our reporter also gathered that on the directives of the Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment Olusegun Aganga, the ITF, in conjunction with United Nations Industrial Development Organization, has commenced a skills survey to indentify the skills needed by the country’s industries.

Under the NEDEP arrangement, ITF is to train key manpower need of the economy while the SMEDAN organises the trained personnel into cooperative or business and teach them how to access funding from financial institutions such as the BOI.