Skill gap: Lagos is promoting local content in building sector — Sanwo-Olu

Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has expressed the desire of his administration to build sustainable and affordable housing projects across the metropolis, leveraging on raw talent from within the space, promoting local content in built sector inorder to bridge the over 15,000 skill gaps in the sector.

Sanwo-Olu stated this at the graduation and presentation of certificates, working tools to 200 trained master craftmen in the built sector after six weeks of intensive training in Ikeja, Lagos.

The governor was represented by the Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Ajigbotafe Akinyemi, in company of Commissioner for Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, Special Adviser to the Governor on Housing, Barakat Odunuga-Bakare and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Engr. Abdulafiz Toriola, among other top government functionaries.

Sanwo-Olu said: “We are here to celebrate our master craftsman programme graduands, the first of its kind in Nigeria and a fulfilment of the promise to the good people of Lagos State, especially with regard to our commitment to uplift our youths and develop the housing value chain.

“As a government, we have consistently identified gaps in the various sectors of the economy and equally set plans in motion to address them, hence our desire to build sustainable and affordable housing projects across the state, leveraging on raw talent from within our space, promoting local content, especially in areas such as masonry; furniture and carpentry; plumbing and pipe fitting; electrical installation and maintenance; painting and decoration.

“In addition, we are committed to not only growing the capacity of artisans but also networking them to potential markets and making them the first priority for our housing projects across the state.

“In line with this commitment, the graduating class will be added to the data base and uploaded on the website of the state government in a bid to give them global recognition.”