Sanwo-Olu empowers artisans
Sanwo-Olu. Photo/facebook/jidesanwooluofficial
No fewer than 2,000 artisans from all traditional divisions of Lagos had their skills modernised and upgraded in an eight-week intensive training organised by the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment.
For Pa Fawole Johnson Alade, there is no age too old to learn. The 76-year-old concrete and block craftsman from Igbogbo-Baiyeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA) made the list of graduates churned out by the Lagos State Government recently in its up-skill programme for tradesmen and artisans in the informal sector.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the graduation ceremony, empowered all the trainees with technological tools and equipment to facilitate their transition into modern practice in their respective vocations.
The event also commemorated the yearly Tradesmen and Artisans’ Day. The trainees were nominated for the capacity-building programme by the Lagos State Council of Tradesmen and Artisans (LASCOTA), the umbrella body for all traders’ associations in the state.
Sanwo-Olu said the government embarked on up-skilling and trade enhancement programme for artisans, given the contributions of the informal sector to the state’s economic growth.
The governor said the training was to equip the participants with contemporary skills and tools to make them in tune with changing dynamics in their chosen vocations.
To build a dynamic economy for the state, Sanwo-Olu said there was a need for optimisation of values provided by skilled workers, while also training the under-skilled segments of the workforce.
The governor said his administration would continue to create an enabling environment for artisans and tradesmen to thrive, promising continuous investment in programmes that would impact their lives and improve earnings from their crafts.
The Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Yetunde Ariobeke, said the up-skill programme was part of the empowerment opportunities initiated by the Sanwo-Olu administration for residents in the informal sector in which 4,500 had benefited.
She said the training was packaged with technical support from BOSCH Nigeria, which taught participants how to use various technological tools. The training and provision of equipment, the commissioner said, are to address the challenge of obsolete equipment at the disposal of artisans in the state.
President of LASCOTA, Nurudeen Buhari, said the capacity building would provide a competitive advantage for the participants in the vocations, praising the governor for the opportunity.
Buhari used the occasion to remind the Governor of the association’s request for the establishment of a secretariat and industrial skill centre for the artisans.
In response, Sanwo-Olu donated three hectares in Badagry to LASCOTA to build its secretariat and the industrial skill hub. The best graduating artisan from the Ikorodu centre, Ariwoola Olagoke, an estate management technician, conveyed the participants’ appreciation to the state government for the empowerment that also allowed them to upgrade their skills.
Related
Latest
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox every day of the week. Stay informed with the Guardian’s leading coverage of Nigerian and world news, business, technology and sports.
0 Comments
We will review and take appropriate action.