Aliko Dangote Foundation will manage a Kano skills centre offering young people technical, digital and industrial training under a new agreement.
The Aliko Dangote Foundation has expanded its interventions in Northern Nigeria after signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Kano State Government to take over the management of the Aliko Dangote Skills Acquisition Centre in the state.
Under the agreement, the Foundation will manage the multi-million naira facility for a number of years and operate programmes aimed at equipping young people with technical, digital and industrial skills.
The Kano agreement comes as the Foundation has completed a similar skills acquisition centre in Ganaja, Kogi State, which is slated for commissioning.
Chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Kano-Jigawa Branch, Muhammad Bello Isyaku Umar, described the intervention as “far-reaching and impactful,” saying skills acquisition remained one of the most effective ways of addressing youth unemployment in Nigeria.
“Programmes such as the Aliko Dangote Skill Acquisition Centre can equip young people with practical skills that enable them to become entrepreneurs, artisans or employees. The emphasis should increasingly be on modern technical, digital and industrial skills,” Umar said.
He described Kano as the economic and commercial hub of northern Nigeria and said the Foundation’s interventions across the region had extended to several sectors.
“From healthcare and education to women empowerment, water and poverty alleviation, the Foundation has touched many aspects of people’s lives. What is particularly commendable is that these interventions complement government programmes while directly addressing the needs of vulnerable communities,” he said.
Umar also disclosed that MAN had benefited from annual sponsorship from Dangote Industries Limited, which he said demonstrated a commitment to Nigerian manufacturing and strengthened collaboration among indigenous manufacturers, government and major industrial investors.
Managing Director of Radio Kano, Abubakar Adamu, also described the takeover of the skills centre as one of the most “strategically important areas of partnership for Kano’s future.”
Adamu said Kano’s large youthful population could not depend solely on conventional government employment, stressing the need to equip young people with skills that correspond to actual market demand.
