General Electric (GE), in conjunction with Dangote Foundation, has announced a garages program in Nigeria in a bid to use technology as a means of building valuable skills in youths.
CEO of GE Nigeria, Dr Lazarus Angbazo expressed happiness in seeing GE work with Dangote Foundation on the initiative, which he noted would make Nigerian youths more employable in a fast changing technology-driven world as the curriculum would be aimed at meeting industry needs being driven by technology advancements.
According to him, the first phase of the initiative will focus on the Power sector, but subsequent phases may be expanded to other key sectors like telecommunications and healthcare.
Dr Angbazo noted that the initiative will among other things promote entrepreneurial growth in all sectors of the economy.
Adiahmbo Odaga, Director of Dangote Foundation also expressed delight at the prospect of working with GE to set up a learning environment different from the traditional classroom.
“This program will be focused in both classroom settings at a permanent location and in real-world, hands-on training modules, which will see youths get familiar with advanced manufacturing and production technology,” said Odaga, who agreed with Angbazo’s claim that the program would make participants more employable in anywhere in the world.
Beneficiaries of the first phase which the partners said would begin later in the year will become indispensable to Nigeria’s power sector at the end of their training, as they will be equipped with the skills crucial for the sector’s development.
Meanwhile, the ‘Kujenga’ citizenship program initiated by GE has officially launched in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.
The program which was launched at the ongoing World Economic Forum Africa has Empower, Equip and Elevate as its core pillars of activity and is expected to be a tool for empowering people with valuable skills, while also equipping communities with new tools and technology required to solve Africa’s challenges.
“We chose Kujenga as the name for our citizenship program because it signifies our shared commitment to building a thriving and prosperous Africa,” said Jay Ireland, GE Africa President and CEO.
‘Kujenga’ is a Swahili word for ‘build’ and GE prides itself as a partner in building Africa’s sustainable future.
GE Kujenga, according to Rice is GE’s way of showing commitment to partnering with institutions, communities and governments as well as the private sector, to bring transformative and sustainable development to the communities in which it operates.
The global infrastructure leader also promised to ensure its host countries are equipped with both systems and material they would need to expand access to healthcare and other essential services.
