Minister of State for Steel Development, Uba Ahmadu, said a series of transformative initiatives are in place to revitalise Nigeria’s metallurgical and steel sectors to drive economic growth, create jobs and reduce poverty.
Ahmadu said this during a visit to the National Metallurgical Training Institute in Onitsha, Anambra state, explaining that the sectors were established to create a pool of indigenous technical workforce that could operate and maintain the steel and allied industries.
He added that the plan would drastically cut down Nigeria’s dependence on foreign technical training and develop highly skilled, practical and production-oriented low and middle-level manpower to drive the economy.
“We are undergoing a remarkable reorientation and revival, with a strategic focus on training 100,000 individuals yearly, with 35 per cent being women, thus creating a workforce to meet the industry’s demands and bolster President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” he said.
On reviving National Steel Raw Materials Exploration Agency in Kaduna, the minister said it would be positioned as a geo-scientific information centre for investors and researchers in the solid minerals. He added that it would reinforce the country’s position as an attractive destination.
“This strategic move has not only enhanced the agency’s capabilities but has also created an enabling environment for the exploration and development of Nigeria’s rich mineral resources. The achievement will be made possible through the collective efforts of technologically driven personnel,” he said.
He maintained that the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Steel Development and Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) have culminated in the facilitation of a ground-breaking $300 million investment in the steel sector by Niger Extraction Company Ltd.
Ahmadu hoped that a multilayered policy approach, including establishing a technical working relationship with the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology would promote the welding guidelines and support technology innovation centres across the country.
