NASENI Trains 470 Youths, Women in Skills, Clean Energy Solutions

The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has trained and empowered 470 youths and women with practical skills in electrical installation, production of household essentials and clean energy solutions in Wannune, Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State.

The beneficiaries comprised 220 people trained under the NASENI Skills Acquisition Programme (NASAP), including 100 men trained in solar installation and 120 women trained in the production of household essentials such as soap, liquid soap, Vaseline and other products.

Another 250 youths and women received training in NASENI’s clean cookstoves and home solar solutions under the Sustainable Empowerment Programme (NSEP), during a five-day programme held at the NYSC Orientation Camp, Wannune.

Speaking at the closing ceremony held at the Federal Polytechnic, Wannune, Prof. Bolaji Babatunde, who represented the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, urged the beneficiaries to put the skills acquired during the training to productive use.

Babatunde encouraged the beneficiaries to start small, take advantage of available opportunities and gradually build sustainable businesses from the skills they acquired.

He said the initiative aligned with the Federal Government’s efforts to expand economic opportunities, strengthen human capital and promote a more productive and inclusive economy.

Also speaking, the Acting Coordinating Director, Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI, Engr. Dr. Rasheed Abdullahi Agava, said the objective of the two initiatives was to empower beneficiaries to become employers of labour and achieve economic self-reliance.

Agava said the skills acquired by the solar installation trainees placed them in one of the fastest-growing areas of Nigeria’s economy, as households, businesses, farms, schools and public institutions increasingly adopt renewable energy solutions.

He added that NASENI was supporting the development of Nigeria’s domestic renewable-energy ecosystem by helping to build the capacity to produce, deploy and maintain technologies required for the country’s energy future.

The Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Wannune, Dr Emmanuel Toyer Dajoh, thanked NASENI for initiating the training and urged the beneficiaries to utilise the skills acquired as a foundation for building successful enterprises.

He said the training would not only improve the beneficiaries’ livelihoods but also contribute to building a better future for their families and communities.