The Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers (NIMechE) has launched the first African internship and mentorship online platform aimed at bridging and complementing the wide theoretical knowledge gap.
President of the institution, Prof. Mohammed Ndaliman, who briefed the press at the launch of the platform in Abuja on Friday, said he envisioned NIMechE will be the premier institution for professional development, knowledge acquisition and dissemination of mechanical engineering knowledge and allied disciplines in Nigeria.
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“This is the first African Internship and Mentorship platform. It is a project of the Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers (NIMechE) which falls under the umbrella of the Forging Africa’s Future for Mechanical Engineers (FAFME). It is aimed at repositioning mechanical engineering practice in Africa using mentorship and internship to complement the wide theoretical knowledge gap.
“FAFME is an offshoot of the NIMechE Innovation Challenge (NIC) and it is an annual programme geared towards deepening and building the capacity of mechanical engineering students in providing homegrown innovative solutions to challenges faced in majority of Nigeria’s sectors like agriculture, security, health care delivery, automation and sustainable energy amongst others,” he said.
Ndaliman further said the programme was initiated in response to the cries by organisations and industries about graduates’ inability to carry out assigned projects, adding that the lack of fundamental technical skills and knowledge needed to fit into these industries and organisations was rendering most of the graduates unemployed.
“This programme will help proffer solutions to these challenges and will also go further in giving them the necessary knowledge to harness their skills into building their enterprises,” he said.
Also, the chairman, FAFME Implementation Committee, Engr. Dr. Robinson Ejilah, said the programme was meant to kick start an industrial revolution in Africa in which engineers and designers would create abundant opportunities using their local skills and ingenuity.
