The federal government is set to position Nigeria as a leading hub of industrial excellence in Africa, with the inauguration of the planning committee for the forthcoming National Industrial Manpower Summit.
Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, John Enoh, said during the inauguration that the move became necessary to ensure that Nigeria's industrial rise is not only powered by infrastructure and policy but also by people who are skilled, equipped, and globally competitive.
"This initiative marks a defining step toward unlocking the full potential of Nigeria's industrial transformation through one of its most vital levers: human capital development and this summit is not just an event - it is a declaration of intent. It signals our collective resolve to ensure that Nigeria's industrial rise is not only powered by infrastructure and policy, but also by people - skilled, equipped, and globally competitive.
"The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment remains resolute in its mandate to position Nigeria as a leading hub of industrial excellence on the continent and our reform efforts are focused on removing structural bottlenecks, attracting investment, and expanding value- added production.
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"However, the government recognized that policies and capital alone are insufficient without a workforce prepared to power the engines of innovation, manufacturing, and enterprise." he stated.
According to him, the upcoming National Industrial Manpower Summit is not just a government agenda but a national imperative, noting that it is a call to industry leaders, policy architects, labour unions, educational institutions, and global partners to co-create a skills revolution that ensures Nigerian industries are not only built, but sustained by competent, competitive, and future-ready Nigerians.
"The Summit we are convening will serve as a strategic convergence point - where government, industry, the academia, and international partners will collectively reimagine Nigeria's industrial skills architecture.
"From curriculum alignment and technical certification, digital literacy and green economy competencies, the time has come to redesign our human capital pipeline for the demands of the fourth industrial revolution.
In his remarks, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industrial Training and Development, Adamson Oluwatosin Ayinde, identified capacity building as key to national industrialisation and economic development.
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Members of the committee are drawn from the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment; the Bank of Industry (BoI); Industrial Training Fund (ITF); Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF); Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN); Organised Trade Unions, and key private sector organisations.
