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Daniel Adaji
The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has launched a pilot phase of its Empowerment and Skill Acquisition Project in collaboration with the Grassroot Bridge Builders, aiming to equip Nigerian youth with practical, industry-relevant skills in the telecommunications sector.
Speaking at the official launch in Abuja on Monday, the Director General of NASRDA, Dr. Matthew Adepoju highlighted the importance of youth empowerment as a strategic pillar for national development.
“No matter how strong, intelligent, or rich you are as a nation, the others can use wisdom to do a great job, but the vigour and vitality of youth, and dynamics and creativity of the youth, can never be underestimated,” Adepoju said.
“A nation that just prioritizes the investment of youth, that nation is not going to make any contribution to global development,” he added.
The initiative, which begins with the training of over 50 young Nigerians, is expected to expand across states and ministries in the subnational.
The DG said the initiative is being rolled out in alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and is backed by various national policy instruments including the Local Content Law and Executive Order No. 5.
“This programme shall be a huge success because we know for sure that the instrumentality of government is in our care,” the DG noted.
“The Space Regulations and Spectrum Management that was recently launched is an instrument to ensure that Nigerians derive maximum benefit for telecommunication in our dear country,” he added.
The training is scheduled to run for two weeks and focuses on hands-on instruction with specialized equipment.
Participants are expected to transition immediately into the field with skills for maintenance, installation, and development in the telecom sector—Africa’s largest and most profitable, according to the DG.
“We are allowing more than 50 Nigerian youth to acquire this very, very highly technical skill and competency that they can start immediately after the training,” he said.
“This is the beginning because this is a pilot phase. We will reach out to the state governments, we will reach out to the ministries and the ministers and humanitarian ministries and legislators,” he added.
CEO of Grassroot Bridge Builders, Ibrahim Igoche was specially acknowledged for his vision and persistence in pushing the idea forward.
“Thank you very much for this programme. I want to especially appreciate the Chief Executive Officer of Grassroots Bridge Builders, Engineer Ibrahim Igoche,” the DG said.
The partnership is part of a broader strategy to ensure that Nigerian youth not only gain employment but also become job creators.
“Don’t give me fish, teach me how to fish. NASA is teaching Nigerian youth how to fish, how to fend for themselves, how to be an employer of labour in this country,” the DG stated.
While the initial focus is on the telecom sector as a “low-hanging fruit,” NASRDA affirmed that other sectors will be incorporated as the program evolves. “There are other sectors that will be coming on stream as time goes by.”
Declaring the workshop open, the DG emphasized the responsibility of the participants.
“When you are the pilot of any programme, the sources and feedback of that program is very important. But under my watch, you will not achieve freedom at all,” he said.
CEO of Galaxy Backbone,
Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju also underscored the project’s impact on the telecommunications sector.
“It’s not just about learning the history of telecommunications; it’s about bringing an end to downtime in telecommunications by training youth and involving them in operations and maintenance,” he noted.
“We want to ensure that youth are removed from vice, brought to positive thinking, and contribute to national development,” he added.