Posted by Uche Nnaji, Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, has announced that the country will initiate a program to educate and certify skilled artisans who will then be able to work in professional capacities both inside and outside of Nigeria.
He noted that the step is essential in order to save the billions of dollars that Nigeria spends annually on the importation of trained artisans.
Abuja served as the location for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM) and its technical partners in academia and industry. The minister delivered their remarks during this event.
According to Nnaji, the Technology and Innovation centers that have already been built by the Ministry across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones will, among other things, be able to accommodate the training of welders to earn the International Welding Certification so that they can comply with international standards.
“Taking a look at the Dangote Refinery, it is clear that we do not have enough competent artisans. The Dangote Refinery is reported to have employed approximately 11,000 artisans in the role of welders, although none of those welders were Nigerian. They were all brought in from overseas. There are millions of people in Nigeria who are capable of welding, but not a single one of them has the ISO certification required for the profession. A day’s wage for a welder is typically around one hundred fifty dollars. “Just multiply that number by the amount of goods that Dangote brought into this country for his work,” he continued.
He noted that the Ministry is already working with the Nigerian Welding Institute to train and certify welders to work not only in Nigeria but also outside of the country. He said this will allow welders to work not only in Nigeria but also outside of the country.