Lagos graduates 76-year-old brick maker, 1,999 others in up-skilling programme

The Lagos state government on Tuesday graduated a 76-year-old brick maker and 1,999 others from its up-skilling programme for tradesmen and artisans in the informal sector.

For Pa Fawole Alade, the 76-year-old concrete and block craftsman, from Igbogbo-Baiyeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA), age was no barrier to learning.

The 2,000 artisans from all traditional divisions of Lagos had their skills modernised and upgraded in an eight-week intensive training organised by the Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony in Ikeja, Lagos state Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said that the trainees were empowered with tools and technical equipment, to further facilitate their transition to modern practice in their respective vocations.

The event also commemorated the annual Tradesmen and Artisans’ Day.

The trainees were nominated for the capacity building programme by the Lagos State Council of Tradesmen and Artisans (LASCOTA), the umbrella body for all trade associations in the state.

Sanwo-Olu said that the government embarked on the up-skilling and trade enhancement programme for the artisans, given the contributions of the informal sector to the state’s economic growth.

He said that the training was to equip the participants with contemporary skills and tools, in order to make them attuned to the changing dynamics in their chosen vocations.

According to him, the present administration placed premium on participatory governance, just as it strongly believed that government and the private sector must work together to transform the state’s economy.

”It is not in doubt that technology and innovation are the bedrock of economic development.

”The transition from the agricultural age to the industrial age, and to the digital age, has been underlined by waves of innovation that emerge to disrupt an established order and replace it with new ways of doing things.

”As a forward-looking government, we cannot afford to ignore the rapid pace of change in the 21st century. Lagos artisans cannot afford to be left behind.

”It is our abiding commitment to ensure that our Micro, Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (MSMEs) grow and flourish.

”This is why we are equipping our artisans with contemporary skills and incorporating technological innovation into their practice, to stay in tune with emerging trends from around the world,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu said that there was the need for optimisation of values provided for skilled workers, while also training the under-skilled segments of the workforce.

He said that his administration would continue to create an enabling environment for artisans and tradesmen to thrive, and also to invest continuously in programmes that would impact their lives and improve earnings from their crafts.

”For the 2,000 re-trained tradesmen and artisans who are graduating today, let me remind you that the strategic position of Lagos offers you limitless opportunities to achieve your dreams, as the state contributes a quarter of the national GDP, and is by extension the fifth largest economy in Africa.

”Your training has, therefore, been designed to provide you with the right mix of skills needed to service the rapidly growing industrial needs of our state,” the governor said.

Sanwo-Olu donated three hectares in Badagry to LASCOTA to build its secretariat and industrial skilsl hub.

The Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Mrs Yetunde Ariobeke, said that the up-skilling programme was part of the empowerment opportunities initiated by the Sanwo-Olu administration for residents in the informal sector, in which 4,500 had benefited.

Arobieke said that the training was packaged with technical support from BOSCH Nigeria, which taught the participants how to use various technological tools.

She said that the training and provision of equipment were meant to address the challenge of obsoleteness of equipment at the disposal of artisans in the state.

”The informal sector is the engine that drives the economy. It, therefore, becomes imperative for Lagos artisans to work towards the realisation of a common purpose, which is creating 21st century artisans for sustainable economic growth.

”In line with our mandate, we have continued to foster the creation of an enabling environment for our artisans through access to market, capital and capacity building, by partnering with the private sector by way of impact investment,” Arobieke said.

The President of LASCOTA, Mr Nurudeen Buhari, said that the capacity building would provide competitive advantage for the participants in their vocations.

Buhari commended the governor for the opportunity of the programme, while reminding him of the association’s request for a secretariat and an industrial skills centre for the artisans.

The best graduating artisan from the Ikorodu centre, Mr Ariwoola Olagoke, an estate management technician, conveyed the participants’ appreciation to the state government for the empowerment that also afforded them the opportunity to upgrade their skills. (NAN)