Nigeria, China to collaborate on capacity building for youths

As part of efforts to close to the skills gap in Nigeria, the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), in collaboration with the Peoples Republic of China, is set to engage 3,000 Nigerian youths on capacity building programme in the later part of the year.

Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Chief Segun Runsewe, revealed this to newsman when he received the Chinese Cultural Attache, Lee Xuda, at the Nigerian Culture House, Abuja.

Runsewe stated that his recent visit to China gave him an opportunity to understudy the secret behind the ingenuity and creativeness of the Chinese in goods production.

He further stated that there is the need for Nigerian youths to be exposed and trained in such environment to gain the needed skills and knowledge in various area of goods production.

The Director-General reiterated that the capacity-building programme, when finalised, will involve selected youths from every state of the federation and the FCT who will be sponsored to China by the state governments in Nigeria, including the FCT.

The National Council for Arts and Culture will also facilitate and coordinate the training on various skills acquisition programmes.

Runsewe maintained that at the end of the capacity-building programme, the skills acquired by the youth will enhance growth and economic development in their various states, and by extension, Nigeria.

Responding, the Chinese Cultural Attache, Lee Xuda, said Nigeria and the People’s Republic of China have a strong bilateral and economic relationship, adding that Nigeria is one of the African countries that attract the most investment from China.

He said economic and trade cooperation is the main pillar of the China and Nigeria bilateral relations, noting that it has made tremendous efforts to help Nigeria, which has abundant human and natural resources, to develop her economy.

The Cultural Attachee assured that the Chinese government is willing to collaborate with Nigeria in areas that will ensure the growth of the Nigerian economy.