NCDMB trains 100 youths from Niger State on solar power installation and maintenance
The training and empowerment of 100 youngsters in solar power installation and maintenance has been completed by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB). Participants from three Niger State zones, including Minna, Bidda, and Suleja, participated in the program, which was held in Suleja and lasted one month.
Speaking on behalf of the Executive Secretary, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, Mr. Abdulmalik Hallilu, General Manager of Planning, Research, and Development at NCDMB, emphasized that the training was part of NCDMB’s youth empowerment program during the graduation ceremony. He explained that the exercise aims to accomplish the Board’s mandate of catalyzing the linking sectors of the oil and gas industry as well as the Federal Government’s goal of lowering the nation’s unemployment rate.
He continued by saying that the global push for energy transition, which calls for a decrease in the use of fossil fuels and an increase in the use of renewable energy sources, is the reason why renewable energy, particularly solar energy, is gaining popularity not just in Nigeria but throughout the world.
According to Halilu, the course was created to give the participants both theoretical and practical information and skills on the value chain of solar power, including installation, maintenance, repair, and entrepreneurship. He said that the program’s goal was to help students become self-sufficient by giving them tool kits, a two-month exit stipend, and access to local shops where they could launch their own businesses. Additionally, he stated that the students would receive assistance in establishing cooperative societies so they could access federal funding for solar energy.
The general manager also encouraged the graduating students to demonstrate professionalism, quality assurance, and innovation as they sharpened their newly acquired abilities. In order for their enterprises to succeed, he also gave them advice about building client databases and maintaining strong relationships. He referred to the trainees as the Board’s ambassadors and tasked them with carrying themselves with honor and honesty everywhere they go.
The graduating students acknowledged in their testimonies that they had learned the nuances of solar power installations and thanked NCDMB for giving them the chance to pursue it since it would enable them to become self-sufficient and benefit their communities.
Father of the Day, District Head of Magajiya Alh. Dalhatu Adamu, commended NCDMB for giving such possibilities to Niger State in his message of goodwill. He also urged the trainees to serve as positive representatives of their neighborhoods and examples for the next generation.
The NCDMB’s Chief Supervisor for Media and Publicity, Mr. Obinna Ezeobi, gave the vote of gratitude and emphasized that the programs’ end-to-end strategies are essential to the success of the Board’s human capacity development objectives. The effectiveness of the curriculum, the availability of tool kits, exit stipends, the leasing of shops, and the support systems put in place for the program are examples of this method. He commended the training’s organizers, Boss Engineering, for providing the students with high-quality tool kits, remarking that this demonstrated the importance of the project.
Highlights of the program included the students’ hands-on demonstration of solar installation and the distribution of toolkits and certificates. In addition to three venues in Cross River State, namely Calabar, Bekearra, and Ogoja, similar trainings are also being held in Ibadan, Oyo Town, and Ogbomosho in Oyo State.
