A total of 300 youths from the Niger Delta region have graduated from the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Technical Skills Training Programme in various areas of specialisation.

Addressing the youths during the graduation ceremony at the NDDC event centre in Port Harcourt, the Commission’s Executive Director, Projects, Dr Victor Antai, said the training programme was part of efforts of the Commission to reduce youth restiveness, create employment and reduce poverty among the people.

Antai, who spoke on behalf of the Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, explained that the training in the areas of pipe fitting, scaffolding, forklift operations and sand blasting was meant to fill the job vacuum in the oil and gas industry.

He noted that the effort to develop human capacity for the people of the Niger Delta region to learn and benefit from the training programme was in alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

Antai said further: “It is noteworthy that we are gathered to celebrate the graduation of youths from the Niger Delta region who have been trained to acquire skills in pipe fitting, scaffolding, forklift operations, sand blasting to learn and to benefit from a programme such as this. This is in line with the Provisions of Section 7 of the NDDC Establishment Act 2000, as amended ”

The Executive Director stated that NDDC was committed to realising its mandate of human capacity development that would be sustainable and regenerative, noting that trainees from the nine states of the region participated in the training.

Antai advised the graduands to remain focused, as the NDDC invested a considerable amount of money to train them in the various areas to produce worthy trained personnel for various industries that require skills in oil and gas, and manufacturing.

He added that the development would further lead to a decrease in the demand for white collar jobs, development in the SMEs among others, in line with the ideals of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He described the graduands as pioneers and ambassadors of the NDDC, part of the fulfilment of the current NDDC board’s vision to restore hope to the people of the region.

The Director, Commercial and Industrial Development, Mrs. Lyna Okara, said the training programme was well thought out to address the needs of the oil and gas industry.
In a goodwill message, the representative of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Mr. Timothy Iyenabo urged the graduands. to develop a road map towards upscaling and training others.

The ceremony, which was witnessed by the Executive Director, Corporate Services, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde, Director, Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr Winifred Madume and other NDDC Directors, featured the presentation of certificates to the graduands.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has urged African nations to prioritise the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) as a catalyst for productivity, competitiveness, and job creation.

Speaking at the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) Nigeria 2025 in Abuja, Tijani warned that Africa risks being left behind if it fails to fast-track AI deployment across key economic sectors.

“AI will widen the productivity gap between nations. Countries that are already ahead will move even faster, while those still catching up will find it even more difficult,” Tijani said.

He pointed to Brazil’s use of AI-driven precision agriculture—deploying soil sensors, predictive analytics, drones, and satellite imaging to cut input costs by up to 95 percent—as an example of what Africa is missing out on. Nigerian farmers, he noted, currently average 2.5 tonnes of maize per hectare compared to Brazil’s 10–12 tonnes.

To chart a way forward, the Minister outlined four priorities for Africa’s AI journey: balancing sovereignty with collaboration, leveraging its youthful population through initiatives such as the “3 Million Technical Talent” programme, digitising African realities by building local datasets, and investing in infrastructure such as connectivity and clean energy.

“If we cannot close this gap, Africa risks becoming a continent that imports food, imports services and imports innovation. That is not the Africa we want,” Tijani stressed.

The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, echoed this call, emphasising the need for shared AI infrastructure to avoid Africa’s marginalisation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

“Any country left behind in this AI revolution risks catastrophe, while those who lead will shape the world,” Inuwa said, citing research that suggests automation could boost global economic growth by 20 percent and potentially double the world economy within five years.

He identified four focus areas for Africa’s AI readiness: harnessing its youthful talent pool, scaling up infrastructure, developing robust policy frameworks, and supporting innovation through start-ups and partnerships. Inuwa also highlighted the importance of developing local large language models to preserve African cultures and values in global AI systems.

In her closing remarks, Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President of the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), described Nigeria as a “frontier of digital opportunity,” with its population projected to rise from 230 million to 400 million by 2050.

“Nigeria is not defined by the headlines or its current challenges, but by the scale of opportunities of tomorrow. Those who stay the course are the future of Africa,” she said, reaffirming DWTC’s commitment to using GITEX Nigeria as a platform for African start-ups and innovators to connect with global partners.

The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa, CCIE, has called on African nations to collaborate in developing shared Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure, insisting that the continent must take the lead in the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Inuwa made the call on Tuesday at the opening of the Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) Nigeria Conference 2025 in Abuja. He warned that Africa must not repeat the mistakes of past industrial revolutions where it played a marginal role, stressing that AI presents a rare opportunity for the continent to become a global driver of innovation.

“Any country left behind in this AI revolution risks catastrophe, while those who lead will shape the world,” he said.

Citing projections by global research firm Epoch AI, Inuwa noted that automation and AI adoption could boost global economic growth by 20 percent and potentially double the size of the world economy within five years. He urged Africa to invest in AI capabilities to secure its place in the digital future.

The NITDA DG outlined four pillars for Africa’s AI agenda: **human capital development**, through initiatives like Nigeria’s 3 Million Tech Talent (3MTT) programme; **infrastructure**, including connectivity expansion, modern data centres and high-performance computing; **policy and legal frameworks**, with Nigeria already drafting a national AI strategy under the supervision of the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani; and **ecosystem support**, by funding startups, strengthening research institutions, and partnering with global technology companies.

Inuwa revealed that Nigeria has already funded 45 AI-focused startups and emphasized the importance of developing local large language models (LLMs) to preserve Africa’s languages, histories and values.

“Our languages, histories, and values must not be erased in the next wave of technological change. We need African LLMs that can tell our stories and preserve our cultural heritage in the age of AI,” he said.

Also speaking at the conference, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, urged African countries to embrace AI as a driver of productivity, competitiveness and job creation. He cautioned that without rapid adoption, the continent risks falling further behind as other nations record gains in agriculture, finance, logistics and education.

“AI will widen the productivity gap between nations. Countries that are already ahead will move even faster, while those still catching up will find it even more difficult,” Tijani said.

Earlier, the Executive Vice President of the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), Trixie LohMirmand, described Nigeria as a country of immense opportunities, urging deeper global collaboration to ensure it secures a central place in the AI economy.

“Nigeria is not defined by the headlines or its current challenges, but by the scale of opportunities of tomorrow. Those who stay the course are the future of Africa,” she said.

LohMirmand reaffirmed DWTC’s commitment to Africa, adding that GITEX Nigeria will serve as a platform for startups, SMEs and innovators to build global partnerships and compete internationally.

….. Diri Assures Of Support, Commends Tinubu
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Bayelsa State government has solicited for equity stake in the Brass Fertiliser and Petrochemical Company project about to commence on the Brass Island in the state.

Governor Douye Diri made the request on Tuesday when the management team of the company paid him a courtesy visit in Government House, Yenagoa.

The Bayelsa governor said the state’s position became necessary due to the negative fallouts in excluding oil producing states and local governments from the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

Senator Diri in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, contended that implementation of the PIA had been hampered in host communities due to the anomaly in the legislation.

He noted that the disregard in the PIA of the Nigerian Constitution, which vests control of land in the state government, was a flaw that has necessitated calls for its review.

His words: “Let us ensure that the state is not totally excluded from being partners in progress in this whole process. The PIA is one good example.

“When it was in its formative stages as a bill, we made a presentation through the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice. We did that after consulting with our people, communities and chiefs. But at the end of the day, our inputs were ignored and thrown overboard as the PIA excluded the oil producing states and their local governments.

“The federal government now interacts directly with the communities and that is an affront on the Nigerian Constitution. The Constitution says the land belongs to the state government and not the federal government.

“The Constitution recognises communities as under the local government and the state government. These anomalies in the PIA have made the law a time bomb.

“Today, because of the PIA, there are intra and inter-communal conflicts and litigations. So even funds that have been realised for their development cannot be disbursed to the communities. If anybody thinks the state is not much important, we will then wash off our hands.”

The governor expressed the hope that the petrochemical company would be different and urged the management to partner the state government to correct the imbalance and avert conflicts in its host communities.

Diri, who commended the President Bola Tinubu administration for resuscitating the project, said it was long overdue.

He said that the Brass Fertiliser and Petrochemical Company was conceptualised in 2009 but gained some traction during the administration of his predecessor before it fizzled out again.

He equally appreciated the president for his positive response to the state’s requests for federal government presence as exemplified in revival of the fertiliser and petrochemical project.

Speaking earlier, Managing Director of the Brass Fertiliser and Petrochemical Company, Chief Ben Okoye, said the visit was to formally inform the state government that work on the $3.5 billion project would start in October this year.

Chief Okoye explained that the 10,000 metric tonnes of methanol per day project was delayed as there was no agreement reached on the gas component but that President Tinubu last October directed the Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas) to get it started and that the agreement was signed in January this year.

He assured the state government that the necessary steps have been taken to implement the project in full and thanked the governor for constructing the Nembe-Brass road, which he noted would save the company up to $100,000 in logistics costs in moving equipment and materials on the river to the project site.

The Project Coordinator, Mr. Cyril Akika, in a presentation, listed the benefits of the project to include economic transformation as more than 15,000 jobs would be created during construction and over 5,000 permanent jobs.

He also stated that the project would increase tax revenues, royalties, internally generated revenue, boost Bayelsa SMEs through project supply chains and equity dividends for the state.

Other benefits include infrastructure and community impact, positioning of the Brass Free Zone as global petrochemical hub as well as development of port, jetty, logistics base and a 300MW gas-fired power plant to ensure energy security among others.