The Honourable Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, has emphasised the critical role of investing in youth skill upscaling as a pathway to positioning Nigeria as a leading force in the global innovation economy.
The Minister made the remarks during a courtesy visit to the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) headquarters in Abuja.
According to him, Nigeria is blessed with a generation of fast thinking and hardworking youths whose potential cannot be overlooked, stressing the need to bridge existing skill gaps and equip young Nigerians with the competencies required to contribute meaningfully to national development.
He said while the government is creating an enabling environment for young people to thrive, they must equally possess the requisite skills to take advantage of the opportunities available within that environment.
Comrade Olawande further highlighted the importance of collaboration between the Ministry of Youth Development and Agencies with complementary mandates, saying partnerships with organisations such as NASRDA could strengthen capacity building and create more job opportunities for young Nigerians.
During a tour of NASRDA’s facilities, the Minister expressed his admiration for the Agency’s work, noting that the innovations and capabilities on ground presents numerous opportunities of implementation for national growth.
He also commended the Director General of the Agency for his leadership and the progress recorded under his leadership, describing the work being carried out at NASRDA as a reflection of purposeful leadership and commitment to advancing Nigeria’s capabilities in the space sector.
Assuring the Agency of his commitment to advocating increased funding for the Nigerian space programme, Comrade Olawande said the time has come for Nigeria to develop its own space story and take its rightful place in the global space community.
The Minister further assured the NASRDA team that he would explore areas of collaboration, particularly in capacity building and indigenous hardware and software development, stressing that the Ministry’s goal was to train as many young Nigerians as possible using various platforms including the National Youth h Service Scheme (NYSC), to equip them with requisite skills needed to drive national development.
Speaking earlier, the Director General and Chief Executive of the National Space Research and Development Agency(NASRDA), Professor Matthew Adepoju, gave a presentation on the Agency, highlighting its achievements and contributions of the Space Programme to Nigeria’s development since its inception.
He outlined the Agency’s ongoing programmes and initiatives aimed at advancing space science and technology, strengthening indigenous capacity and leveraging space based technologies to support national development.
The Director General also conferred on the Minister the status of NASRDA Space Ambassador in recognition of his passion, support and commitment to the Space Programme, thereby strengthening collaboration with the Agency.
The Honourable Minister was taken on a tour of the facilities of NASRDA.
Below are some pictures from the event:
Reporter: Oluwaseun Ajayi
Editor: Joy Atama-Opaluwa
Photo Credits: Ibrahim Zakari
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