KEY POINTS
• Ebonyi Governor Francis Nwifuru has invited automobile manufacturers, investors and indigenous entrepreneurs to establish businesses in the state.
• The newly inaugurated NADDC Automotive Training Centre in Abakaliki is the council’s first automotive training centre in the South East.
• The state government says the facility will support skills development, technology transfer and sustainable job creation.
MAIN STORY
Ebonyi State is seeking greater private sector participation in its emerging automotive and industrial economy, with Governor Francis Nwifuru promising an investment environment that supports business growth.
Nwifuru made the appeal on Friday at the inauguration of the National Automotive Design and Development Council Automotive Training Centre in Abakaliki.
The governor said the centre would strengthen technical skills in the state while creating a pathway for technology transfer, local capacity development and employment.
He described the facility as an industrialisation intervention rather than an extension of conventional automobile repair activities, noting that it would train mechanics and develop technicians, engineers and innovators.
“The facility marks a significant step in Ebonyi’s industrialisation drive, designed to train automobile mechanics and develop a new generation of technicians, engineers, innovators among others.”
Nwifuru said the skills acquired at the centre should contribute to the state’s developing industrial economy, particularly as trained technicians and engineers establish businesses and develop locally produced components.
He urged young people in the state to consider technical education as a route to entrepreneurship rather than viewing it as inferior to conventional academic education.
“Technical knowledge is not inferior because properly trained automobile technicians can become entrepreneurs.”
The governor said his administration would continue to create conditions that allow investors to transfer technology, build local skills and contribute to Ebonyi’s economic transformation.
He also urged automobile manufacturers, investors and indigenous entrepreneurs to take advantage of the investment environment being created in the state.
Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Sen. John Enoh, said the centre reflected the Federal Government’s focus on skills development, human capital and industrialisation.
Enoh said the facility was the first NADDC centre inaugurated in the South East and came at a time when developments such as electric vehicles and advanced energy management systems were creating new technical training requirements.
He described Ebonyi as having strong entrepreneurial potential and encouraged young people in the state to acquire skills that could enable them to become employers of labour.
The NADDC Director General, Oluwemimo Osanipin, said the centre was established to provide practical and industry relevant training for young people and other automotive practitioners across Ebonyi and the South East.
He said the facility had modern training equipment and was designed to support skills acquisition, technical innovation, technology transfer and workforce development.
THE ISSUES
- The establishment of the centre gives Ebonyi a dedicated facility for developing automotive skills, potentially strengthening the supply of trained technicians and other professionals needed by the sector.
- The focus on technology transfer links technical training with the wider industrialisation agenda, particularly by encouraging the development of local expertise and components.
- The governor’s appeal to manufacturers and investors places private sector participation alongside government funded skills development. New businesses would provide a route for trained workers to apply their skills commercially.
- The emergence of electric vehicles and other automotive technologies means technical workers will require training that extends beyond conventional vehicle maintenance. The Federal Government identified this changing technology landscape as a reason for increased investment in technical education.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“I urge Ebonyi youths to take advantage of the facility and discard the perception that technical education is inferior to conventional academics.” – Gov. Francis Nwifuru
“The rapid emergence of technologies such as electric vehicles and advanced energy-management systems, require corresponding investment in technical training.” – Sen. John Enoh
“The facility is equipped with modern training tools and designed to support skills acquisition, technical innovation, technology transfer, workforce development among others.” – Oluwemimo Osanipin, NADDC Director General
WHAT’S NEXT
The Ebonyi Government says it will continue providing an environment that supports investment, technology transfer and local skills development.
The NADDC centre is expected to provide practical automotive training for youths and practitioners in Ebonyi and the wider South East.
BOTTOM LINE
The new NADDC centre combines automotive skills development with Ebonyi’s wider push for industrial investment. The state government is positioning the facility as a platform for technology transfer, entrepreneurship and job creation.
