FCTA willing to partner Ireland on, ICT, vocational education – Wike

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, declared on Tuesday that collaboration with the Republic of Ireland is welcome inside the FCT Administration (FCTA).

According to him, the collaboration would focus on information and communication technology (ICT), agriculture, and vocational training.

Wike revealed this during a visit to his Abuja office by Mr. Peter Ryan, the Irish Ambassador to Nigeria.

The minister also revealed that the collaboration would allow the FCT Administration to expand the region’s economy while capitalising on the close relations between Nigeria and the Republic of Ireland.

Regarding ICT, Wike stated that under his Renewed Hope Agenda, the administration of President Bola Tinubu would provide technological jobs for young people.

He claims that the FCTA aims to lower unemployment by giving young people possibilities in the digital economy.

“We think that we would be interested in partnering with companies in Ireland where we can build ICT hubs for the interest of the youths, to reduce the level of unemployment.

“Again, education is key for us, particularly vocational and skilled education, where our youths can acquire some skills in particular areas,” the minister said.

In response, the Irish envoy not ifi 7ked Wike that his nation was prepared to link FCTA with knowledgeable teams in Ireland for additional dialogue.

He clarified that Ireland’s largest chamber of commerce, the Dublin Smart City, serves as a cultural hub where many partners and companies collaborate closely.

He claims that one of the things luring international investors to Ireland is the country’s rich cultural heritage.

He gave the minister his word that he would link the FCTA and its decision-makers to the group of specialists in his nation.

Regarding vocational education, the ambassador informed the minister that the leader of the country’s biggest vocational education provider would be in Abuja during the second week of December and available for discussions.

“A lot of the startups in Dublin are spinouts of the big technology players like Google and Meta.

“We work closely with them as indigenous startups to create jobs for young people and as you know, a lot of these people are geography-neutral.

“They just want talented young people, and they want an environment where they can flourish.

“We can see the potential for it in Abuja. Maybe there are one or two little steps we could take together to demonstrate practical things”, he added.