By Onu Okorie

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Saturday flagged off a nationwide community empowerment programme in science, technology, skills acquisition and renewable energy.

The initiative, championed by the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure NASENI, was launched in Kano State and will see over 160 participants trained in solar installation and maintenance, mobile phone hardware repairs, and electrical appliances and electronics repairs across the country’s six geopolitical zones.

A statement from the NASENI explained that the effort is part of Federal Government moves to tackle youth unemployment and drive economic inclusion across Nigeria.

Vice President Shettima, represented at the event by the Personal Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Subnational Infrastructure, Musaddiq Mustapha Adamu, praised NASENI for delivering on a key pillar of the Renewed Hope Agenda, job creation and entrepreneurial empowerment.

“Today, NASENI is opening one of those doors. And I want you, every young person in this room, to walk through it with everything you have,” Adamu read on behalf of the Vice President.

“The government is not doing you a favour. It is making an investment, in you, because it believes the return is worth it. Do not prove that belief wrong.”

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, represented by the Director of General Services, Dr. Ibrahim Abdulkadir, described the programme as a vehicle for inclusive economic growth. He stressed that it was designed to promote innovation, expand digital learning and broaden entrepreneurship opportunities for women and youth. Senator Akume pledged the Federal Government’s full support for initiatives advancing Nigerians through skills and technology.

NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, told participants they would receive hands-on training in renewable energy, welding and fabrication, food processing and packaging, and mobile phone repairs, skills he said were directly responsive to today’s economy.

He also announced that NASENI would be donating laptops and STEM innovation kits to schools as part of a broader effort to nurture a generation of technology creators rather than mere consumers.

“The future belongs to people with skills,” Halilu said. “The knowledge you gain here can create businesses, support families, employ others, and contribute to Nigeria’s industrial growth.”

The Kano flag-off marks the beginning of a rollout that will extend the programme to all six geopolitical zones, as the Federal Government pushes to reduce unemployment and build a skills-driven economy capable of sustaining long-term industrial growth.