Ismail Abdulazeez Mantu Reporting
Edo State, NigeriaÂ
In a bold move to foster entrepreneurship and advance Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has unveiled the Edo State Technical Talent Development Policy (EDO-TTDP) and the Edo State Work-Based Learning Programme (EDOWBLP).
The announcement was made during the annual public-private sector business roundtable on technical talent development, held at the New Festival Hall in Government House.
Reaffirming his administration’s dedication to TVET, Governor Obaseki emphasized the necessity of focusing on production and manufacturing to address the country’s economic challenges. “As a country, we have no choice but to emphasize manufacturing and production as that will get us out of the problems we are having today. We have to produce more for ourselves and need to train more persons to achieve this,” he stated.
Since taking office, Governor Obaseki has prioritized the development of Edo State’s human capital. “We are in power because of the citizens, the children of Edo State, and our purpose is to use our resources to place our people at the frontline of development and make them globally competitive,” he affirmed. Addressing the issue of mass migration among the youth, he added, “If you create what they went to look for outside the home, they will stay at home and use their energy and brilliance to contribute their quota to the development of the State and nation.”
The governor highlighted the significant strides made in basic education, which laid the foundation for the new TVET initiatives. “For us, in the first four and a half years, our focus was on consolidating the foundation of learning, which is basic education. We created a foundation to prepare our children to face the future and compete favorably with their peers across the globe.”
He praised the contributions of international partners, particularly the German Government and GIZ, whose support was pivotal in reshaping the state’s TVET curriculum. “We were sponsored on a nine-day trip to Germany which gave us the opportunity to look through the German system to understand how their educational system is based on TVET. That has given Germany a competitive advantage today in terms of manufacturing and production.”
The newly launched EDO-TTDP and EDOWBLP mark the culmination of years of groundwork. Governor Obaseki noted that while the government provides the framework and infrastructure, the private sector’s role in job creation is crucial. “We’ve gone to China and worked with two polytechnics to offer technical training and scholarships to improve the quality of our learning and certification.”
In a closing remark, Obaseki said, “As a nation of 200 million people, it’s not possible and sustainable to continue to import all that we consume and wear as most of the materials to produce what we consume is here in our country.”