By Israel Bulus, Kaduna
The Honorable Commissioner for Business, Innovation, and Technology, Hon Patience Fakai has said that her Ministry is committed to making Kaduna a hub of technology innovation for economic development.
Fakai disclosed this during the grand-breaking ceremony of the construction of the Vocational and Technology Skills Hub at Samaru Kataf in Zango-Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Fakai explained that the time has come for the state to leverage the advantages of the tech sector to address myriads of challenges in society and create opportunities for youths in the state to thrive for economic growth and development.
According to her, the opportunity is coming at a time when she was charged with the mandate of developing relevant, quality, and demand-driven skills; aimed at enhancing the employability of youths as well as promoting self-employment among them.
“With these initiatives (developments) in the State, under the dynamic leadership of His Excellency, Sen Uba Sani, things can only get better in the State.
“A similar one had taken place at Rigachikun and indeed, the third Centre will be cited at Soba in the coming days.
According to her, the Kaduna State Vocational and Technology Skills Acquisition City (KAD-VTSAC) Project is an initiative of Governor Uba Sani which is aimed at ensuring that people from all walks of life are empowered with critical skills to function in the technology-driven, globally competitive environment of today and the future.
“It is the culmination of the Governor’s commitment, as captured in his “Sustain Agenda”, to prepare all youths in the State to enter the job market with the right skills, quality education, knowledge, and competencies to participate in the global labour market of the 21st century.
She commended Governor Uba Sani, for his people-oriented initiatives and indeed barrier-breaking leadership style of citing projects equally across all the Senatorial Zones of the State while calling on the people in the areas to reciprocate the same gesture of the Governor by providing his administration with the necessary support and exhibiting the real “ownership mindset” that the laudable projects deserve.
“I wish to commend all those who have provided the impetus for making the KAD-VTSAC concept a reality. Let me especially commend the members of the Kaduna State Vocational and Technology Skills Development Council and National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), who have collaborated with the Ministry to produce this strategy document, and also thank all those from public and private actors who continue to advocate for the rightful recognition of the contribution of technical education for national development.
She assured the Kaduna State Governor and the people of the State that the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Technology will do all in its capacity to fulfill its mandate regarding the successful implementation of the KAD-VTSAC / TVET Strategy of the government.
She further urged all stakeholders in the State to support their efforts to increase learning outcomes for skills development, stressing that together, they can achieve a vision of creating a generation of youths who are ready to enter the global market with the right skills to compete and become productive citizens who embody the values, character, and morals of a good and sustainable Kaduna State.
