National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
Dayo Emmanuel
Human Capital Development Centre (HCDC), a project of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has graduated 64 students from its garment manufacturing and pattern drafting training program in Lagos.
Speaking at the event, Chief Executive Officer of the NEPC, Mr. Olusegun Awolowo said, “HCDC furthers our mission to boost Nigeria’s non-oil exports, which we believe will characterize our future economic landscape.”
Speaking further, Awolowo, who was represented at the event by a Director at the NEPC Abuja office, Mr. M. A. Iranloye said the students at the training were trained to be able to contribute to the garment industry.” “At the training Centre students are exposed to fundamental expertise and mastery needed to contribute to the garment and textile industry, catalyzing an ecosystem that fosters a trade oriented private sector through indigenous product development and export,” he said.
In his own remark Regional Coordinator of the NEPC, Lagos, Mr. Babatunde Faleke congratulated the trainees as he presented their certificates, encouraging them to utilize the skills gathered at the training.
The training, a nine week free training with free lunch, provided hands-on training for the students who are moving on to become empowered professionals. A total of 16 were trained in Industrial Pattern Making while 48 completed intensive training session in garment manufacturing.
NEPC’s consultant on the project, Mrs. Omoyemi Akerele at the event said, “64 students graduated from the training out of which 16 are already hired by different garment manufacturers.” She added that “20 of the students are to be retained in the NEPC factory in Apapa while arrangement is in place to fix the remaining graduants with other garment manufacturers and next batch of trainees would resume in June.”
Simeon Nneamaka is among the top five students. She said “I am excited and I thank God for making me finish the course. I was initially discouraged because of finance but my mother and one of our instructors Miss Morenikeji encouraged me to stay on and today I thank God.”
On what she intends to do next, Nneamaka said, “We the top five have already planned a business outfit. We have tools and working capital already and our dream is to work hard to ensure the survival of the business and generate orders for export.”
One of the collaborators with NEPC on the training, Vlisco Nigeria, a multinational group of textile manufacturing company was represented by its Country Manager, Mr. Adebisi Yeye-Adekunle said “The organisation is committed to facilitating solutions that empowers with skills and revenue generating opportunities within the textile and garment sector of the economy as an industry we believe will be very crucial in the future economic landscape of Nigeria.” He added that “The top five students of the training Grace Ogwu, Simeon Nneamaka, Bolaji Busari, Bukola Kumolu, Anu Akinrinwa will be presented with eight machines and the best student will also get a cash price from Vlisco as part of our ongoing support to the apparel production sector.”
Among the trainers were Mrs. Sola Babatunde who said the training is capable of reducing unemployment rate in Nigeria. “The training is quite rewarding and I feel fulfilled. The dress I’m wearing for this event is a gift from the students which they made in few hours,” she said, adding that, “Some of them would be retained to produce for export under the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). NEPC is doing a lot. I have earlier heard that the government only makes empty promises but I now know that if a group is organised, NEPC is ready to work with such group.”
The training was facilitated by Style House Files, Vlisco Nigeria in collaboration with NEPC. HCDC has the primary aim of promoting garment making skills, creating job opportunities and upgrading the technical skills to improve quality, productivity and efficient level of the garment industry.
