The
Federal Government would, in May, sign a 50 million Euro (about (N11.15
billion) loan agreement with French government for capacity-building
and upgrade of power training facilities in Nigeria, a government
official has said.
Dr. Reuben Okeke,
Director-General, National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN)
made this known at a graduation of trainees at the institute’s National
Graduate Skills Development Programme (NGSDP) on Monday in Abuja.
Okeke said that President Muhammadu Buhari was expected to sign the agreement on behalf of Nigeria, while President of France, Francois Hollande would sign for his country.
“By next month, the President of Federal
Republic of Nigeria and that of France will be signing a loan agreement
to get NAPTIN completely transformed, up to a tune of 50 million
Euros,” he said.
He said that at the current rate of
N222.8 to one Euro, the loan would be valued at N11.15 billion, adding
that the fund would help NAPTIN’s training programme.
Okeke said that the institute’s programme was answer to manpower shortage in the technical skills in Nigeria’s power section.
According to him, the success of the
recent power sector reform will depend on the availability of a
qualified workforce to meet the needs of the industry.
He said that there was need for NAPTIN to structure its operations to reflect the needs of the private sector.
He disclosed that the institute was
currently working with a leading international consulting outfit for
funding support of the Agence Francaise de Development (AFD) to evolve a
new strategic plan.
The director-general said that the plan
included the training needs of the new private entrants as well as their
participation in the delivery process.
He disclosed that with the assistance of
AFD, NAPTIN would become a hub for power sector professional
development in West Africa.
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