Abuja Chamber challenges FG on skills gap

The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has called on the Federal Government to develop a national skill policy to bridge the skills gap and create jobs for unemployed youths.

Tony Ejinkonye, president of the ACCI, made the call at the graduation ceremony of 17 participants in a vocational training in Abuja.

The ACCI president said  nine of them were trained in technical facility management while eight trained in office administration.

Ejinkonye, who was represented by Kayode Adetokunbo, the 1st deputy president of the ACCI, said skills development was critical to job and wealth creation.
“I want to suggest that the Federal Government should have a clear skill development policy that would address unemployment in Nigeria,’’ the ACCI president said.

Ejinkonye suggested that the policy must provide that students leaving secondary school acquire vocational skills before proceeding to tertiary institutions.

Dickson Onuoha, acting director-general of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), said the ITF was working with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to identify the skills gap.

Onuoha, represented by Lola Gbadamosi, director, Revenue Inspectorate and Compliance, ITF, said that at the completion of assessment of the skills gap, that it would be captured in the national skill development policy.

Also,  Jens Gebharde,  facilitator at the training, said the German government was collaborating with ACCI to train people in vocational skills to spread the skills across the country.

Gebharde said that the German Dual Vocational Training started in 2012 in Nigeria, aimed at training participants in technical facility management and office administration.

According to him, it was also aimed at empowering Nigerians to create jobs and wealth for the nation.

Harrison Edeh