NADDC partners Abia to train auto-technicians

The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC), an agency under the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and the Abia State Government, have commenced the training of automobile technicians in Abia State.

The aim is to improve their capacities and bring them up to date with trends in modern vehicle techniques.

About 60 auto-technicians selected from Umuahia and Aba benefited from the pilot phase of the programme, which will be replicated all over the country.

Lawal Gada, managing director, Greenado International Limited, consultants to NADDC on the project, explained that the training would prepare the mechanics for the next phase of electric vehicles that would soon hit the local market.

According to him, NADDC wants to use the programme to empower auto-technicians to enable them acquire modern equipment and learn advanced ways of doing mechanic business that will guarantee customer satisfaction.

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“It is a skill acquisition programme that will increase their income and livelihood,” Gada stated.

He praised the Abia team on the project, stating that the state’s partnership with NADDC would boost the programme in the State.

“Abia State, particularly Aba, is important to the federal government, because it hosts so many artisans, especially automobile technicians and that is why it is the first in the cycle. We also saw the seriousness in the state’s team, which ensured that we come here to train their people”.

Chukwuma Ogbonna, member, Abia State Automotive Committee, urged auto-technicians in the state to take advantage of the ongoing training programme to formalise their businesses.

In his words, “We are going to reach out to all of them. We want them to be organised, because we are going to put them in clusters, where the state government would provide them with modern equipment.

“The training is also to ensure that their businesses are well organised. You know that the majority of them operate informally, and in an informal setting, you’ll not be able to track what they are doing. We also want to make sure that they attain customer satisfaction, which is the basic thing in business and their growth as small and medium entrepreneurs (SMEs)”.