Digital and sustainability leader, Schneider Electric has embarked on a mission to empower youths for a sustainable energy future with a commitment to train one million individuals in energy management and industrial automation by 2025.
According to the United Nations, more than 1.8 billion people aged between 10 and 24 years account for 1 in 6 people worldwide, and almost 90% of them live in developing countries.
Therefore, there is an urgency to equip young people with relevant and upgradable skills to become the next generation of energy leaders.
Speaking to journalists, Funmilayo Olakitan, access to education coordinator, Schneider Electric, Nigeria, draws attention on Schneider Electric’s mission alignment with the United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) “Schneider Electric’s youth empowerment mission aligns with the two Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Quality Education, and Decent Work and Economic Growth. This strategic alignment reinforces the company’s dedication to fostering long-lasting impact through education and meaningful employment opportunities.”
In commitment to achieving this goal in Nigeria, Olakitan highlighted some of the recently signed partnerships, “A recent stride towards achieving this goal is our collaboration with the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB). LASTVEB has a curriculum they operate for training and in partnership with Schneider Electric, our aim is to train 5000 youths in five years. Similarly, a partnership was recently signed with the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) to train over 1800 youths in five years,” she said.
Reflecting on Schneider Electric’s empowerment mission, Omobolanle Omotayo, marketing communications manager, Schneider Electric West Africa mentioned key program partnerships that were previously executed, “We created the electricians training program and equipped 300 unemployed youths, in partnership with the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), and the French Development Agency (AFD), to improve the quality of domestic and commercial electrical installations,” she said.
The collaboration between Schneider Electric and the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) was made resulting in a solar training program tailored for underprivileged Nigerians across three training centers: Railway Technical Institute (RTI), Yaba College of Technology, and ETIWA Vocational Training School.
Access to Education Coordinator, Schneider Electric, Olakitan, spoke further on partnerships with institutions on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
“Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) have remained central to Schneider Electric’s efforts. We have collaborated with Covenant University, University of Lagos, Don Bosco Ghana, and Village Exchange Ghana to transfer expertise to students who want to acquire training in sustainable energy solutions.”
Additionally, Schneider Electric University’s online platform has witnessed enrolment from over 1000 individuals across West Africa, pursuing energy-related certifications. The commitment extends beyond academic pursuits, as Schneider Electric also actively engages in Internal career talks and mentorship programs, catering to individuals of all ages through STEM initiatives.
Schneider Electric drives digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, endpoint to cloud connecting products, controls, software, and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centres, infrastructure, and industries.
MOFI engages FMDQ to improve FG revenue base.
The investment and assets management arm of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Ministry of Finance Incorporated, on Tuesday, engaged the Securities Exchange, FMDQ Group Plc, on a possible partnership that would improve the overall health of the capital market and boost the revenue base of the FG.
At the FMDQ office in Lagos, the stakeholders broached the strengths and opportunities available in such partnerships.
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Speaking, Armstrong Takang, the managing director of MOFI said that the current administration of President Bola Tinubu was interested in harnessing the value of assets owned by the country, hence the renewed vigour of MOFI.
He said, “The new administration wants to restructure MOFI and for it to live up to its responsibility of being a custodian of state-owned assets and reposition those assets.
“The second thing is to determine what government owns, what they are doing with it and where they are located. We believe that those companies will form the basis of investment by both local and foreign investors.
“We have a 10-year plan to increase the value of our Assets Under Management to N100tn but we are at N18tn. This N18tn value of AUM doesn’t include our airports, seaports, Ajaokuta Steel and others. We believe that when we look at the derivatives on these assets, it will increase in value.”
Responding, Jumoke Olaniyan, the acting managing of the FMDQ Group, highlighted different ways that the group’s offerings can be beneficial to MOFI’s work and the capital market.
