The Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Uche Nnaji, has expressed his sadness over the annual loss suffered by Nigeria due to imported certified welders, News About Nigeria reports.
According to him, the nation loses $10 billion yearly because of a lack of certified welders engaged in various sectors of the economy.
The minister, who expressed his sadness at the development, made this statement at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for academic and industry collaborations between the National Centre for Technology Management, the Federal University of Technology, Minna, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming Limited.
Nnaji also lamented that the newly commissioned Dangote Refinery employed about 11,000 welders, and none of them were Nigerian.
He further noted that although Nigeria has over one million welders, none has international certification, which would enable them to work in the oil and gas sectors of the economy.
“We are lacking in manpower. We are lacking in skilful artisans, not just digital people,” he added.
He also disclosed that, as part of the ministry’s intervention, they would partner with the Nigerian Welding Association to set up a hub in the six geopolitical zones, where welders would be trained and given ISO certification.
He further explained that the certificate would enable the welders to have the permit not just to work in Nigeria but also outside Nigeria.
Nnaji also stated that if Nigeria had enough certified welders, there would be no need to start importing welders because such importation leads to Nigeria losing over “$10 billion every year, as a welder is paid about $150 a day.”
The minister, therefore, called on stakeholders to double efforts towards changing the trend by developing content locally in the country.
