The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike, said on Tuesday that the FCT Administration was open for partnership with the Republic of Ireland.

The partnership, he said, would be in the areas of agriculture, vocational education and Information and Communication Technology.

Mr Wike disclosed this when the Irish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Peter Ryan, visited him in his office in Abuja.

He said that through the partnership, the FCT Administration would grow the economy of the FCT and leverage the strong ties between Nigeria and the Republic of Ireland.

On ICT, Mr Wike said that President Bola Tinubu-led administration would create technology jobs for the youth through his Renewed Hope Agenda.

According to him, the FCTA intends to provide opportunities for the youths in the digital economy to reduce unemployment.

“We think that we would be interested in partnering with companies in Ireland where we can build ICT hubs for the interest of the youth, to reduce the level of unemployment. Again, education is key for us, particularly vocational and skilled education, where our youths can acquire some skills in particular areas,” Mr Wike said.

He also identified agriculture, with the available vast land in the FCT, as a critical sector that could contribute to improving the economy of the federal capital.

He said that the FCT Administration would be happy to collaborate with companies in Ireland to introduce technology-based agriculture in the FCT.

This, he said, could be achieved through leveraging the expertise in Ireland, adding that the partnerships would be for the mutual benefit of both Ireland and the FCT.

Responding, the Irish envoy informed Mr Wike of his country’s willingness to connect FCTA to expert teams in Ireland for further discussions.

He explained that Ireland has a cultural hub in its largest chamber of commerce – the Dublin Smart City, where different partners and businesses work closely.

According to him, the cultural footprint of Ireland is one of the reasons foreign investors are attracted to it.

He assured the minister that he would connect the FCTA and its policy-makers to the consortium of experts in his country.

On vocational education, the ambassador said that the head of its largest vocational education provider would be in Abuja in the second week of December and met with the minister’s disposal for talks.

Mr Ryan also acknowledged the existing opportunities for collaboration to promote indigenous technology startups in Abuja.

“A lot of the startups in Dublin are spinouts of the big technology players like Google and Meta.

“We work closely with them as indigenous startups to create jobs for young people and as you know, a lot of these people are geography neutral. They just want talented young people, and they want an environment where they can flourish.

“We can see the potential for it in Abuja. Maybe there are one or two little steps we could take together to demonstrate practical things”, he added.

 (NAN)