By Stephen Adeleye.
The Kogi State Government has expressed her readiness to partner with Dangote Academy in areas of strategic alliance and collaboration to enhance and promote vocational and technical skills among the youths in the state.
The State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Hon. Wemi Jones, gave the assurance when he led a team on a maiden facility tour to Dangote Academy Technical Training Schemes on Thursday at Obajana, Lokoja.
According to the Commissioner, the visit to Dangote Academy has been quite revealing, it’s actually for me a revelation that something of this magnitude exist in this state.
“But thank God, the people that spoke with us alluded to the facts that quite number of Kogi indigenes are also part of the trainees.
“According to them, a number of Kogi indigenes have graduated and have already been absorbed by Dangote Industry, and we are quite happy about that.”
He noted that aside the Dangote Academy partnering with Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), there would be lots of strategic collaborations also with Nigeria-Korea Friendship Institute (NKFI).
“Even beyond the CUSTECH, I see a lot of areas of strategic collaborations with the NKFI in the state, which was established to offer similar things to what the Dangote Academy is doing.
“We need to increase the volume as far as NKFI is concerned, and I can see plenty of areas of strategic alliance and collaboration with the Dangote Academy.
“As for CUSTECH, it is established primarily to do what Dangote Academy Obajana is doing. So, for me, this is one of the best visit I have made since I became Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology in Kogi,” Jones said.
The commissioner, therefore assured the determination of His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, to repositioning education sector in the state especially technical and vocational education.
He further urged the youths in the state to take advantage of the vocational and technical institutes in the state to get themselves empowered with viable and sustainable practical skills.
Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to Kogi Governor on Vocational and Informal Education, Hon. Nana Hauwa Yetunde Raji, said she was impressed when she heard about the Dangote Academy in collaboration with VDMA German Engineering
“I was impressed that something of that magnitude is in Kogi State, and to me there was not much publicity about it.
Our main aim of the visit, is to bring more publicity to the academy because it has a lot of advantage not only to the Nigerian youths but the Kogi youths in general.
“There is a big gap between the formal education, and informal, vocational and technical education which we are lacking in Nigeria as a whole,” she said.
Raji stressed that Nigerian youths lacked basic employable skills especially in line of the mechanical and technical skills.
She emphasised that the visit was to encourage Nigerian youths especially Kogi youths to utilise and know that there is actually something of this magnitude in their State that they could benefit from.
“We hope we can collaborate and partner with this institute to bring more benefits to our youths,” Raji said.
Earlier, the Administration and Student Affairs Coordinator of Dangote Academy, Mr Korede Fadeyi, noted that the academy commenced operation in October 2010 with the first batch of 48 trainees under the Vocational Training Scheme (VTS).
Fedeyi added that a total of 703 trainees had been admitted while 652 have been graduated till date.
According to him, the ADF-VDMA partnership involves the collaboration between the Aliko Dangote Foundation, Germany’s VDMA (Mechanical Engineering Industry Association) and its Foundation for Young Talent in Mechanical Engineering (NWS).
He explained that the ADF-VDMA idea arose from the shared vision about addressing the deficit in vocational skills required in the manufacturing sector in Nigeria.
He added that the training program combined Nigerian requirement with German expertise and technology Know-how, which involved theoretical and in-plant practical engagements.
”The long course programmes in mechanical are: welding and fabrication, vulcanization control technology and maintenance of machines, basics in mechanics and fitter works.
”The electrical includes: electrical installations, electrical machines, and advanced measuring techniques,” he said.
Fadeyi noted that the academy’s vision is to be the talent pipe-line for Dangote Group while filling the industrial skill-gap in Nigeria, while the mission is to be the center of excellence for corporate leadership skills, technical training and vocational skills acquisition.
The Commissioner was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Pastor Emmanuel Idenyi, who reiterated the commitment of the Governor to revamping education sector in the state.
