The Switzerland Embassy in Abuja, Nigeria and Nestlé Nigeria Plc have unveiled economic strategies aimed at addressing issues relating to unemployment and underemployment of jobless Nigerian youths, saying the economic strategies were meant “to offer young people the chance of a more secured and productive future.”
Part of the economy-based strategic plans to address issues of unemployment in Nigeria and globally, by the leading Health and Wellness Company would cover the training of young Nigerians and Africans aimed at unlocking potentials onshore and offshore in order to shore up the technological advancement of their host countries in Africa, especially Nigeria.
Speaking at a news conference held on Wednesday at the Swiss Embassy in Abuja, Hans-Rudolf Hodel, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Nigeria, Chad and Niger, revealed that the Switzerland government and Nigeria had signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a “migration partnership to deepen the exchanges of trainings between the two countries.”
He said the Nestlé Technical Training Center, Agbara in Ogun state, which is said to have been upgraded with state-of-the-art facilities, has been dedicated to the advancement of science and technology for the teeming Nigerian youths, just as he unveiled five students who returned to the country having been trained in the Switzerland at their country’s expense.
Also, Dharnesh Gordhon, the Managing Director of Nestlé Nigeria, said that a total of twenty-six youths of Nigerian extract, had completed training in various field of manufacturing engineering at the Agbara facilities in Ogun state, before the best five were taken for training in Switzerland.
Gordhon, who was represented by Sola Akinyosoye, Head, Human Resource of the company, noted that the success of the programme in Nigeria and the launch of Nestlé Global Youth initiative informed the decision of the company to consider the establishment of a Technical Training Center in Cote d’Ivoire next year.
The Managing Director added that another batch of twenty students, which is the third in the series, would be admitted in September, just as he disclosed that the first set of the trained youths had been employed, while eight of them are with the Nestlé.
“As part of efforts to help young people contribute to the technological development of Nigeria, nurture local ability in science and engineering while widening our potential of talent pool, we introduced overseas training to the scheme.
“Under an agreement between Nestlé, the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Swiss government, the top five graduating students of each batch undergo an additional three-month internship in Switzerland.
“This year’s top five graduating students had the opportunity to follow a three-month internship at Nestlé Product Technology Center and the Nespresso factory in Switzerland where they were exposed to areas in production, quality control, engineering and technology,” he concluded.
RAZAQ AYINLA
