The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), in partnership with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), has introduced a three-year training programme aimed at equipping young Nigerians with technical skills in Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicle retrofitting and other areas of the emerging CNG value chain.

The initiative is being implemented through the NYSC Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme and is expected to train between 900 and 1,000 corps members annually as Nigeria continues to expand CNG use as an alternative to Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Automotive Gas Oil (AGO).

Speaking during the programme’s inauguration in Abuja, NADDC Director-General Joseph Osanipin said the initiative was created to develop the technical workforce required to support Nigeria’s expanding CNG ecosystem.

According to Osanipin, the country’s transition towards CNG is opening new opportunities for young Nigerians with expertise in vehicle conversion, maintenance, technology and other related services.

“Because CNG is new, we have to train our youths to understand how CNG works, understand the dynamics, and then be able to convert vehicles. And not only that, to understand every other thing, the value chain within that ecosystem,” he said.

The programme’s first phase will train 300 corps members across six locations in Abuja, Adamawa, Kano, Lagos, Edo and Enugu states.

Each centre will select 50 participants for the initial training phase.

Osanipin said the programme would subsequently increase its annual intake to between 900 and 1,000 trainees.

The first phase will also be reviewed after completion to incorporate lessons from implementation and developments within the CNG industry.

He stressed that the initiative was structured as a long-term programme rather than a one-off intervention.

According to him, NADDC, NYSC, the Ministry of Youth Development and the Special Adviser to the President on Youth Initiatives would collaborate to sustain the programme.

The programme will not be limited to CNG vehicle conversion. Participants will also be exposed to technical services, maintenance, technology, ICT, entrepreneurship and other opportunities across the CNG value chain.

Osanipin said participants who perform well and show interest in further development could receive additional assistance, including employment opportunities, entrepreneurship guidance and further training.

He referred to previous NADDC youth programmes in which participants secured employment while others received seed funding to establish businesses, noting that similar opportunities could arise from the CNG initiative.

The NADDC Director-General also highlighted opportunities in technology and ICT within the sector for young people who may not want to specialise directly in vehicle conversion.

NYSC Director-General, Brig.-Gen. Olakunle Nafiu, said the programme was consistent with the Corps’ efforts to equip corps members with practical skills that could strengthen their employment prospects.

He said the pilot phase would give particular attention to graduates of mechanical, electrical and mechatronics engineering.

The programme would subsequently be opened to other interested corps members as it expands.

“As we progress, we will expand the net and absorb other interests. Our goal is to ensure our youths become gainfully employed,” Nafiu said.

Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, said the programme demonstrated the importance of combining academic qualifications with practical and employable skills.

“Certificate alone cannot do it. The only way unemployment can go is for government to provide an enabling environment for young people to thrive,” he said.

The Special Assistant to the President on Youth Initiatives, Titilope Badamosi, disclosed that the 300 beneficiaries would undergo continuous practical training throughout their service year.

The training will take place through placements at accredited CNG conversion centres.

Badamosi said the programme supports the government’s “One Youth, Two Skills” agenda and its efforts to tackle unemployment, poverty and economic vulnerability among young Nigerians.

The initiative is expected to increase Nigeria’s pool of skilled personnel for the expanding CNG sector while creating pathways for young people to obtain employment, build technical careers and establish businesses within the automotive and alternative-fuel industries.

Source: MSME Africa Online