The Republic of Korea provided about $30 million in grant and technical cooperation programmes to Nigeria in the last two decades, its Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Noh Kyu-duk, has said.
The envoy who spoke during the handing over ceremony of the Nigeria-Korea Friendship Institute of Vocational and Advanced Technology, in Lokoja, Kogi State, said the extended grant focused on education, governance, agricultural production and other areas.
Harping on the importance of technical and vocational education in nation building, he said when the youths are equipped with updated skills and technologies, jobs would be secured, income generated and poverty reduced to barest minimum.
Commending the Nigerian government on its pledge to build one vocational training centre in each state, he said Kogi State is at the forefront in that direction and remained Korea’s strongest development partner in that regard.
He urged the Federal Government to pursue an aggressive Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) policy framework, saying without a strong policy drive to beef up the TVET in the 1960’s and 70’s in Korea, its economic growth would have been hampered.
“In line with this, I am proud to inform you that Korea ranked number one, 19 times in the World’s Skills Competition,” he said.
He urged the Kogi State government to properly manage the facility to get the desired result.
He said: “Without making the best use of these facilities and proper operation and management of this centre, our real mission of producing excellent human resources for the socio-economic development of Kogi and Nigeria may prove difficult.”
He stressed on the need to strengthen the existing good relationship between the two countries, saying he envisaged the centre developing into a regional centre where it providing quality vocational training not only for Nigerians, but also neighbouring countries.
“They say ‘a friend in need is a friend in deed’. And you say ‘If you want to go far, go together’m I believe Korea and Nigeria are such a friend to each other. Let’s go together in our journey to further develop our great two countries”.
Governor Idris Wada described the Nigeria-Korea Friendship Institute of Vocational and Advanced Technology as a model for technical and technological training that is equipped to produce the best technical manpower to support industrial revolution in Kogi State, Nigeria and indeed the whole of Africa.
“This institute is a world class institute and every effort will be made to ensure that graduates from the institute are of world standard and will be able to compete favourably with their peers in any part of the world”, Capt. Wada said.
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