Masterminds Catering & Culinary Institute (MCCI) is targeting to train over 500 enthusiastic individuals in the various sectors of the hospitality industry, including food and beverage production, food and beverage service, hotel accommodation, and housekeeping service in the next two years.
This is just as the Federal Government has recovered about five hectares of land meant for Arts and Crafts village, illegally taken over by some individuals in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Rector of MCCI, Khadijat Fashina while speaking at the grand launch of the Institute in Abuja announced plans to partner with relevant government agencies to organise the first Taste of Abuja Festival to showcase local ingredients, local delicacies, local crafts, and arts.
Fashina explained that the Institute intends to alleviate poverty and bring about gender equality for men and women to learn the skills of the culture of how to be excellent and give excellent service delivery in the hospitality industry.
She said: “We are here to close the skills gap in the hospitality and tourism sector. We believe and know that the hospitality industry is one of the industries that provide the highest level of employment anywhere in the world and we want to be a partner in achieving the dream of putting Nigeria on the world map as one of the best hospitality destinations.
“We will use our knowledge and skills and facilities to make sure our learners get the proper skills set that will put them at par with their contemporaries all over the world.
“Masterminds catering and the culinary institute was born out of a passion to contribute to nation-building by providing a place of learning for filling the skills gap in the hospitality and tourism industry.
“Our mission is to galvanise as many people as possible into a productive path in the hospitality sector locally and globally. We will use our world-class facilities and superior skill and impart knowledge that empowers the learners to give value to themselves in terms of income and job satisfaction leading to financial freedom and flexibility to live a fulfilled life and value to the customers in terms of impeccable service and exponential growth in the economy”.
In his remarks, the Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Olusegun Runsewe who was Chairman of the occasion said he had to ensure the recovery of the encroached portion of the Arts and Crafts land in Abuja which was becoming a save haven for criminals.
Runsewe lamented that Nigeria has left behind the biggest secret which is the development of culture and tourism, stressing that about 17 countries in Africa rely only on the sector to develop their economies.
He noted that: “MCCI has done something that reawakening us to the reality of life. The sector is the only sector that nobody is a failure, even if you make F9 you are useful, you don’t need a PhD to make Amala.
“So many graduates are at home doing nothing because we need people that have practical knowledge of what they are saying. That is why I am personally supporting MCCI for all of us to cash into it. It is a capacity-building approach which we all need”.
