•From left: Mr. Chris Uzoalu, General Manager (HR) CROWNPACK Nigeria Ltd; Mrs. Bolanle Ajibade, Area Manager ITF Abeokuta Area Office; Mr. Adebowale Oyejola Oyeneye Permanent Secretary, Bureau of Public Service Reforms; and Mr. Boniface Ndubuaku, HR Farmex Meyer Ltd, Ota, at the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Abeokuta Area Office Breakfast Meeting with Stakeholders held at Covenant University Ota on Wednesday, 22nd February, 2024.
The Abeokuta Area Office of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Nigeria’s premier Human Capital Development agency, convened its first-ever breakfast meeting with Stakeholders in Ota, Ogun State on February 22nd, 2024. According to a statement, themed “Building Capacity to Thrive in a Rapid Evolving Economy,” the event brought together industry leaders, government representatives, academics and media to delve into critical issues and opportunities surrounding skills development.
In her opening remarks, Mrs. Bolanle O. Ajibade, the Area Manager and Deputy Director of the ITF Abeokuta Area Office, underscored the agency’s core mandate of facilitating skills development within Nigeria’s industrial and commercial sectors. She highlighted the ITF’s significant impact on the lives of Ogun State indigenes, aiming to curb youth restiveness and alleviate poverty through various initiatives such as the National Industrial Skills Development Programme (NISDP), Federal Government Skills Empowerment Programme (FEGOSEP), and more.
A notable initiative, the ITF-National Economic Recovery Growth Programme (ITF-NERGP), has already commenced training 100 Ogun State indigenes in welding, electrical, tiling, carpentry and crop production.
Additionally, through the Skill-Up Programme for Artisans (SUPA), ITF provides tech-enabled skills training, licensing, and access to essential toolkits, promoting industry-standard excellence.
Mr. Adebowale Oyeneye, Permanent Secretary of the Bureau of Public Service, delivered an insightful presentation as the guest speaker, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving economy. He stressed the importance of investing in education systems, promoting vocational training, supporting research and development (R&D), fostering entrepreneurship, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders to build a resilient workforce.
Key recommendations emerged from the discussions, including investing in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and STEM education, promoting vocational training aligned with industry needs, supporting R&D for innovation, and creating a business-friendly environment with favourable policies and regulations.
Industry leaders such as Mr. Chris Uzoalu of Crownpack Ltd. and Mr. Ikmot of Honda commended ITF for its initiative, emphasising the significance of knowledge sharing and continuous learning in navigating the dynamic economic landscape. They advocated for expanding such programs to reach a broader audience, including communities and the informal sector.
Chris Uzoalu remarked, “It has been a very robust engagement, and I feel this should be done often to close the information gap between the ITF and the industry. We have come to understand that without capacity building, you can’t sustain factories, and if you can’t sustain factories, you can’t sustain the community.”
The ITF’s breakfast meeting served as a vital platform for dialogue and collaboration, uniting key stakeholders to address the pressing issue of skills development amidst rapid economic change. The agency’s commitment to empowering individuals and fostering a thriving industrial landscape was evident throughout the event, with the generated recommendations poised to guide future efforts in building a more skilled and adaptable workforce for Nigeria.
Established under the Industrial Training Fund Act No. 47 of 1971, the ITF is a statutory body of the Federal Government of Nigeria. Its mandate is to provide, promote, and encourage the acquisition of skills in industry and commerce to meet the needs of both public and private sectors of the economy.