By Abubakar Basiru
Kaduna State is strengthening its position as a hub for technological innovation, industrial growth and skills development through a partnership with the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, NASENI.
The partnership includes the establishment of a Skills Development Centre in Rigachikun, the commissioning of a drone training centre in Kaduna, and the empowerment of five hundred beneficiaries with clean energy technologies.
Governor Uba Sani described the Skills Development Centre as another milestone in the state's drive towards economic renewal through skills acquisition.
He recalled that more than four thousand youths had recently graduated from state vocational centres across Rigachikun, Zaria and Samaru-Kataf campuses, where they received training in fourteen different trades.
The initiative is designed to bridge the gap between classroom learning and industrial practice while promoting local innovation, manufacturing and entrepreneurship.
The partnership also featured the commissioning of the NASCAV Drone Training Centre at the Air Force Institute of Technology, Kaduna, to strengthen indigenous technological capacity.
NASENI's leadership highlighted the importance of partnerships in expanding drone technology, promoting women's participation through the SHEFLY initiative, and supporting innovation in agriculture, infrastructure and national security.
The Commandant of the Air Force Institute of Technology, Air Vice Marshal Adeniran Ademuwagun, who represented the Minister of Defence, said the facility would strengthen indigenous technological capacity and support national security.
In another development, NASENI launched its Sustainable Empowerment Programme in Kaduna, providing five hundred beneficiaries drawn from the state's twenty-three local government areas with solar home systems, clean cooking stoves and support packages.
NASENI said the initiative would help reduce energy costs, improve household productivity and create economic opportunities in installation, maintenance and local manufacturing.
The agency says the interventions are aimed at strengthening technical skills, expanding access to clean energy and promoting sustainable economic growth in Kaduna State.