WorldStage— Vice President Kashim Shettima has flagged off the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI)’s nationwide community empowerment programme aimed at equipping Nigerian youth and women with practical skills in science, technology, renewable energy and entrepreneurship.
The programme, launched on Saturday in Kano State, will train more than 160 participants across the six geopolitical zones in areas including solar installation and maintenance, mobile phone hardware repairs, electrical appliance servicing, electronics maintenance, welding and fabrication, food processing and packaging.
Represented by the Personal Assistant to the President on Subnational Infrastructure in the Office of the Vice President, Musaddiq Mustapha Adamu, Shettima described the initiative as a reflection of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly its focus on job creation and youth empowerment through skills development.
He urged participants to take advantage of the opportunity, stressing that the Federal Government was investing in their future.
“Today, NASENI is opening one of those doors. I want every young person in this room to walk through it with everything you have. Learn and apply what you’ve learnt. The government is not doing you a favour; it is making an investment in you because it believes the return is worth it,” he said.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, represented by the Director of General Services, Dr. Ibrahim Abdulkadir, said the programme was designed to promote innovation, strengthen human capital development and create inclusive economic growth through technology-driven interventions.
He noted that the initiative would equip women and youth with relevant skills while expanding entrepreneurship opportunities through digital learning, reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to supporting programmes that advance innovation and employment.
Akume encouraged beneficiaries to utilise the training to improve their livelihoods, reduce unemployment and contribute meaningfully to national development.
Earlier, the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, said the agency was committed to developing a skilled workforce capable of driving Nigeria’s industrial growth.
According to him, participants will receive hands-on training in renewable energy technologies, fabrication, mobile phone hardware repairs, food processing and packaging, among other market-driven skills.
Halilu also disclosed that NASENI is supporting schools with laptops and STEM innovation kits to nurture technological creativity from an early age.
“We must encourage our children to become creators of technology, not just consumers of it. The future belongs to people with skills. The knowledge you gain here can create businesses, support families, employ others and contribute to Nigeria’s industrial growth,” he said.
The event attracted goodwill messages from the Kano State Government, the Nigerian Commodity Exchange, the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Kano State chapter, and the Arewa Consultative Forum, among other stakeholders, all of whom commended NASENI for the initiative and pledged support for programmes that promote innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable economic development.
