Invest in education to grow knowledge Economy – Dangote advises FG
By Aminu Mohammed, Kano
President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote Industries Limited has urged the Federal Government to invest hugely in education and skills acquisition so as to grow the knowledge economy.
Speaking on Friday as a Guest Lecturer at the 38th Convocation Lecture of Bayero University Kano (BUK), Dangote said for Nigeria’s Knowledge Economy to thrive, the nation must invest hugely in education and research, information and technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, human capital develoment, intellecrual property (IP) protection, industry-academia collaboration, creative industries, global connectivity.
Represented by Engr. Mansur Ahmed, Dangote delivered a lecture entitled: “Role Of The Private Sector In Building A Sustainable Knowledge Economy In Nigeria.”
According to him, for Nigeria to leverage and nurture a sustainable Knowledge Economy, the Federal Government must invest in education and skills development.
Dangote listed other factors that can grow Knowledge Economy in Nigera to include: promotion of research and development; digital infrastructure development; entrepreneurship and innovation support; circular economy integration; government policies regulation.
Others include: public private partnership (PPP); environmental stewardship; digital inclusion and accessibility; communuty engagement and social impact.
He further stated that: “by adopting these recommendations, we can lay the foundation for a sustainable knowledge economy that prioritizes environmental sustainability, social inclusion, and innovation.
” The successul implementaion of these strategies requires a collaborative à effort from all stakeholders, with a shared commitment to the principles of a knowledge-driven snd sustainable future.”
Dangote, however, observed that: “A major challenge in transiting to Knowlesge Economy for Nigeria is the quality of the Nigerian worker,” opining that: “The quality of human assets matters a lot in the operations of a firm.”
According to him: “Our educational system which produces most of the human assets working in various firms in Nigeria needs to be modified to yield the desires results.
” The system as presently constituted produces graduates who may have excellent qualifications but lack the necessary skills to perform optimally in a knowledge driven economy.
“We have thousands of graduates on a yearly basis, but selecting those with the required skills is often a tough task. The esucational system should incorporate findings from the research instutitions in their programmes asbwell as relevant management skills that would equip students for excellence after their studies.”
He insisted that: “Knowledge gap among workers is a major limiting factor that hinders many firms operating in Nigeria from achieving the desured results.”
Accorsing to Dangote, Nigeria’s Knowledge Economy value chain plays a crucial role in shaping its economic landscape.
In his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of BUK, Prof. Sagir Adanu Abbas noted that in BUK, Dangote is a trademark that rings a bell, courtesy of the Dangote Business School singlehandedly built and donated to the Uinversity by Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
He added that: “Established about a decade ago, Dangote Business School has produced thousands of postgraduates.”
“Indeed, the establishment of Dangote Business School has added a lot of value to the Bayero University, Kano with the School moving on from strenght to strenght and making a name beyond the shores of Nigeria.”
