Abuja, Dec. 17, 2024 – Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), has advised foreign investors to focus on capacity building to support growing economies like Nigeria.
The NiDCOM Chairman gave the advice in Abuja during a strategic meeting with Dr Toks Omishakin, the Secretary of California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA).
She emphasised the importance of knowledge transfer and skill development in driving economic growth.
The NiDCOM boss stressed the need for training programmes to equip Nigerians with the technical know-how necessary to improve efficiency and productivity in the transportation sector.
She said this step aligned with President Tinubu’s vision of growing the country into a trillion-dollar economy.
Dabiri-Erewa said educating the public would also enable them to become environmentally conscious and find ways to promote activities that protect the planet.
She advised the California Transport Secretary to include more key actors like the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) on research, training and capacity building.
Dabiri-Erewa also praised Omishakin for using his position for the common good of all, a Nigerian core value, and assured him of future collaboration with the Commission.
Omishakin, in his response, expressed his concern about air quality as affected by pollution and other environmental factors.
According to him, transportation contributes a great deal to environmental and air pollution which has significant impact on the population’s health.
Omishakin said CalSTA was seeking foster stronger ties between Nigeria and California by leveraging on the expertise and influence of the Nigerians in the US through infrastructure development, economic development and knowledge/skill transfer.
He expressed CalSTA’s commitment to investing in sectors such as technology, energy, and green jobs.
Omishakin also highlighted the potential for collaboration with Nigerian tertiary institutions, like the University of Lagos, to develop advanced training programmes for students.
He also said CalSTA was ready to invest in Nigerian states with strong investment sector that is viable in California.
Dr. Aditya Ramji, Director, Global South Clean Transportation Center who is part of the delegation, agreed that training is vital to ensuring local capability in promoting climate actions among the youth.
Ramji said the training programme would focus on providing Masters and PhD students with the knowledge and skills needed to address the challenges of Nigeria’s transportation sector.
The California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) is a state cabinet-level agency that develops and coordinates transportation policies and programmes for California. (GBN)
