KEY POINTS
- NASENI has trained 100 youths in Onitsha in modern electrical installation and maintenance.
- The beneficiaries received electrical tools and equipment as starter packs.
- The programme also includes solar home systems and clean cookstoves.
- Organisers said the training was targeted at improving employability and supporting small businesses.
MAIN STORY
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure has trained 100 youths in Onitsha, Anambra, in modern electrical installation and maintenance as part of its empowerment programme.
The agency’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Khalil Halilu, disclosed this on Friday at the closing ceremony of the five day training programme.
Halilu said each participant received a starter pack containing electrical tools and equipment to enable them to apply the skills acquired during the training.
He said the programme was being implemented across the country under the NASENI Sustainable Empowerment Programme, with the aim of translating science, technology and innovation into practical benefits for Nigerians.
According to him, the intervention is built around three components, namely the NASENI solar home system, clean cookstoves and the NASENI support pack.
Halilu said the solar home system would provide beneficiaries with renewable electricity for lighting, charging devices and other household activities.
He added that access to electricity could also allow small businesses to operate for longer hours while reducing their reliance on costly and unreliable energy sources.
The NASENI chief executive said the clean cookstoves were designed to provide a safer and more efficient alternative for cooking, while reducing fuel consumption, household expenses and exposure to harmful smoke.
He said the support pack was intended to provide additional assistance to beneficiaries and strengthen their ability to meet immediate household needs.
The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, described the Federal Government’s initiative under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda as impressive.
Achebe said programmes of this nature could help reduce youth unemployment, while urging the Federal and state governments to expand efforts to address poverty and hardship affecting families and communities.
The Anambra Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Patrick Aghamba, also commended the programme, comparing it with the state government’s One Youth, Two Skills initiative.
Aghamba said the state programme had empowered more than 10,000 beneficiaries and urged the new trainees to put their skills and the equipment provided to productive use.
Dr Rita Melifonwu, Coordinator of the Onitsha Advancement Foundation, said the organisation advertised the training opportunity and conducted interviews before selecting the 100 beneficiaries from more than 100 applicants.
She said 56 participants were already working as electricians, while 27 were students of electrical engineering in tertiary institutions.
Five of the beneficiaries were women and 17 were non indigenes of Onitsha.
Some of the trainees expressed appreciation for the programme and pledged to use the skills and equipment to improve their livelihoods.
NAN reports that a similar training exercise was conducted simultaneously in Onitsha North and Abatete in Idemili Local Government Area of Anambra.
THE ISSUES
- Skills training can improve the ability of young people to earn income independently, particularly when practical training is combined with tools that allow beneficiaries to begin working immediately.
- Providing equipment alongside technical training addresses one of the challenges faced by skilled youths who may have the ability to work but lack the basic tools required to start or expand their services.
- The inclusion of solar energy in the programme links youth empowerment with the wider need for more reliable and affordable electricity, particularly for households and small businesses.
- The participation of students and existing electricians suggests that technical skills programmes can serve both young people entering the trade and those seeking to strengthen existing capabilities.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“This programme is founded on a simple but important conviction of science, technology and innovation, which must produce tangible improvements in the everyday life of Nigerians.” – Khalil Halilu
“This gesture will go a long way to keep jobless youths off the streets across the country.” – Nnaemeka Achebe
“They are designed to reduce fuel consumption, lower household expenses and minimise exposure to harmful smoke.” – Khalil Halilu
WHAT’S NEXT
The beneficiaries are expected to apply the electrical installation and maintenance skills acquired during the training and use the starter equipment provided to them.
NASENI says the Sustainable Empowerment Programme is being implemented across the country.
BOTTOM LINE
NASENI’s Onitsha intervention combines technical training with equipment and other support aimed at improving the economic capacity of young people. The programme also links skills development with access to renewable energy and cleaner household technology.
