NADDC centre will equip Ebonyi youths for auto-tech economy – Nwifuru

Ebonyi State Governor, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, has described the newly commissioned National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) training centre in Abakaliki as an investment in the skills, technology and entrepreneurial capacity required to prepare Ebonyi youths for the economy of the future.

Nwifuru, who spoke at the formal commissioning of the centre on Friday, said the facility was not an extension of conventional mechanic workshops but a specialised investment in youths who would repair vehicles, diagnose sophisticated automotive systems, design solutions and establish businesses.

He urged young Ebonyians to embrace technical education, stressing that technical knowledge was not inferior to conventional academic education.

The governor said the centre aligned with his administration’s industrialisation vision under the People’s Charter of Needs, which places emphasis on infrastructure, human capital, technology and productive enterprise. He also invited investors in automotive services, component manufacturing, fabrication, vehicle maintenance, diagnostics, electric mobility and technical education to explore opportunities in the state.

The Minister of State for Industry, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Owan Enoh, said the project underscored the Federal Government’s commitment to skills development, industrialisation and economic diversification.

Enoh, who said the Ebonyi facility was the first NADDC centre he was commissioning in the South-East, urged young Nigerians to acquire technical skills that would enable them to create businesses and employment opportunities rather than depend solely on paid employment.

He said specialised technical training had become increasingly important with the emergence of electric vehicles and other new automotive technologies, adding that the facility would contribute to building the technical capacity required for Nigeria’s evolving automotive industry.

NADDC Director-General, Chief Joseph Osanipin, said the centre, located along Ogoja Road, Abakaliki, was equipped with modern training tools for practical and industry-relevant training of youths, technicians, artisans, students, vehicle owners and entrepreneurs. He said it would serve as a hub for automotive skills acquisition, technical innovation, entrepreneurship development, technology transfer and workforce preparation.

Osanipin disclosed that NADDC was developing an automotive certification framework with qualification levels ranging from Level One to Level Nine, while the training programme would cover compressed natural gas, electric vehicles, automotive mechatronics and electronic diagnostics. He said the facility would support skilled manpower development for the automotive, agricultural and industrial equipment sectors across Ebonyi and the wider South-East.

However, the NADDC boss appealed to the Ebonyi State Government to assist in restoring power to the centre, disclosing that the transformer serving the facility had been vandalised. He stressed that reliable electricity was essential for operating the specialised training equipment installed at the centre.

Chairman of the NADDC Governing Board, Chief Emma Eneukwu, commended the Federal and Ebonyi State governments for their collaboration, while Ebonyi State Commissioner for Human Capital Development and Monitoring, Chief Mrs Ann Aligwe, said the centre aligned with the state’s policy of equipping citizens with sustainable skills. She said the facility would provide Ebonyi youths and women with technical competencies capable of making them self-reliant and economically productive.