The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, says Nigeria loses $10 billion yearly to imported certified welders engaged in various sectors of the economy.
Speaking in Abuja, yesterday, at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for academic and industry collaborations between National Centre for Technology Management (NACETEM), the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming Limited, the minister called on stakeholders to double their efforts towards developing local content in the country and changing the trend.
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According to him, the newly-commissioned Dangote Refinery employed about 11,000 welders, of which none was Nigerian.He said although Nigeria has over one million welders, none had international certification, which would enable them to work in the oil and gas sectors of the economy.
Director General of NACETEM, Olusola Odusanya, said the academic programme will help develop technological skills that would earn candidates international recognition, while the Vice Chancellor, FUT Minna, Faruk Kuta, expressed delight at the development, adding that the university is glad to partner with the agency to train middle and high level manpower in the sector.
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