The federal government, through the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), has unveiled plans to increase the skills of artisans to boost Nigeria’s economy through skilled manpower and labour exports.

The Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday in Lagos.

According to Mr Ajayi, the Nigerian government, via a national framework- the “Skill-Up Artisans” (SUPA) programme, is collaborating with Abu Dhabi for the supply of 14,000 qualified artisans to work in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Mr Ajayi said the overarching objective of SUPA was to drive national development, ensure the availability of a skilled artisanal workforce for domestic industries and create a sustainable pipeline for labour export.

He noted that Denmark, Germany, UAE, Estonia, United Kingdom, Ireland and many other countries were introducing various visa categories to attract artisans from Africa.

“To boost the pool of local artisans with proficiency in in-demand skills, President Tinubu has mandated the ITF to retrain and ensure 20 million artisans in Nigeria are properly certified over the next five years.

“This is so they can become competitive and be able to take full advantage of job openings locally and abroad.

“The president also directed that the ugly trend of artisans from China, Philippines and neighbouring West African countries taking up jobs meant for artisans in Nigeria should be reversed,” he said.

Mr Ajayi noted that in the last decade, many oil service companies and IOCs operating in Nigeria have struggled to get welders, plumbers, electricians, etc, to work on their projects.

He stated that SUPA had been designed to pivot a paradigm shift in technical know-how and service delivery for Nigerian artisans as part of the Renewed Hope Agenda for inclusive and shared prosperity.

“SUPA will equally address outdated and skills deficiency in artisanal practice in the country,” Mr Ajayi said.

Mr Ajayi said that the director general of ITF, Afiz Oluwatoyin, while speaking on the importance of upskilling artisans for national development, explained that the initiative would ensure Nigerian artisans compete globally.

“Oluwatoyin noted that in the past, Nigerian artisans had been operating like illiterates and low-level people compared to foreign countries where artisans were well-regarded contributors to economic growth.

“We want to upgrade Nigerian artisans to international standards,” Mr Oluwatoyin was quoted as saying. 

(NAN)