As the economic downturn in the Country bites harder, Experts in the Housing Sector continue to call for a shift in trajectory to solve the Myriads of Challenges in Nigeria.
The ripples effects of Economic frailties are being felt in every Sector, with the housing sector being hit hard in many ramifications. The rising cost of building materials, housing affordability, Skills gaps and a host of other challenges have hit the nation hard, even as Nigerians grapple with other economic difficulties.
As a Quick Fix to the Current economic Woes, One of the Strategies brought to the front burner are “Sector Skills Councils”. This is owing to the fact that the Skills gap in the sector also present a Herculean task to combat the realities of the day.
Speaking to Housing TV Africa, Bldr. Samson Ameh Opaluwah, President , Sector skills Council for Building in Nigeria, has the called the strategy a quick pathway to economic delivery. He stated that if Sector skills Councils are harnessed across vital sectors, it can restore the much needed stability needed in the economy.
He said ” Sector Skills Councils promote skills development in a given economic sector. They are permanent working structures to identify or analyse skill needs or to otherwise contribute to education and training that will prepare the workforce for the specific economic sector.
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“Different sector structures are widely used worldwide, and the Councils may be established through initiatives by the social partners or government. The Councils are usually recognized in legislation, which legitimizes their work and affirms their mandate. Legal recognition grants them the right to express their opinions to the public”.
Speaking on the need to invest in human resources as a viable means of boosting the economy, bldr. Opaluwah further added “Nigeria needs to focus on its human resources to revamp the economy. Nigerians’ capacity to acquire competencies at whatever level worldwide is not in doubt. The irony, however, is that the country is rich with potential in every sector but has a high youth population who are largely unskilled, underemployed, or unemployed.
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“With skills fully deployed, our country’s economic fortunes can be turned around so that many who are currently exiting the country will remain rather than run to the embrace of the unfriendly climate and people in some of these extremely cold countries. Skills are the quick fix to the challenge of youth unemployment”.
Bldr. Opaluwah also emphasized that the country needs to focus on skills development, acquisition, and deployment in both formal and informal education systems. He explained that institutions’ graduates are not industry-ready and, as such, not attractive to labour employers.
