FOR Pa Fawole Johnson Alade, there is no age too old to learn. The 76-year-old concrete and block craftsman from Igbogbo-Baiyeku Local Council Development Area (LCDA) makes the list of graduands churned out by the state government, today, in its up-skill programme for tradesmen and artisans in informal sector.
No fewer than 2,000 artisans from all traditional divisions of Lagos had their skills modernised and upgraded in the eight-week intensive training organised by Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, at the graduation ceremony, empowered all the trainees with technological tools and equipment to facilitate their transition into modern practice in their respective vocations.
The event also commemorated the yearly Tradesmen and Artisans’ Day. The trainees were nominated for the capacity building programme by State Council of Tradesmen and Artisans (LASCOTA), the umbrella body for all traders’ associations in the state.
Sanwo-Olu said the government embarked on the up-skilling and trade enhancement programme for the artisans, given the contributions of the informal sector to the state’s economic growth.
The governor said the training was to equip the participants with contemporary skillset and tools in order to make them in tune with changing dynamics in their chosen vocations.
To build a dynamic economy for the state, Sanwo-Olu said there was a need for optimisation of values provided by skilled workers, while also training the under-skilled segments of the workforce.
The governor said his administration would continue to create enabling environment for artisans and tradesmen to thrive, promising continuous investment in programmes that would impact their lives and improve earnings from their crafts.
The Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Yetunde Ariobeke, said the up-skill programme was part of the empowerment opportunities initiated by the Sanwo-Olu administration for residents in informal sector in which 4,500 had benefited.
She said the training was packaged with technical support from BOSCH Nigeria, which taught the participants on how to use various technological tools.
The training and provision of equipment, the Commissioner said, are to address the challenge of obsoleteness of equipment at the disposal of artisans in the state.
