The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), has empowered auto mechanics to deepen their skills on the maintenance of broad range of vehicles and processes and introduce them to the latest diagnostic technology.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the mechatronics training program in Lagos, the director-general of SMEDAN, Mr. Olawale Fasanya, congratulateme the graduands, saying they are able to gain hands-on experience under the watchful eye of a professional/mentor.
Fasanya said that the thrust of the commercialisation enhancement initiatives for mechatronics is to ensure the survival and growth of the Nigerian automotive industry using local, human and material capital with a view to enhancing the industry’s contribution to the national economy.
According to SMEDAN DG, the Agency deemed it necessary to intervene in this sector because of the huge market for automobiles in Nigeria with attendant technological know-how. The training which they have received will enable their capacity to be enhanced in the usage of the equipment that will be given to them.
He noted it is important to understand that technology is the future of any sector, urging thebeneficiaries to put the knowledge gained during the training into gainful use.
He added that “as the Agency of the federal government established to ensure the sustainable growth and development of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises sub-sector of the economy, SMEDAN has initiated and is implementing several programs/projects to achieve the mandate. Such programs and projects are expected to grow the number of MSMEs from the present 39 million while equally increasing the number of MSMEs employments from the present 61 million.”
Fasanya also said, findings showed that over 85 per cent of vehicles imported into Nigeria annually are classified either as accidented or used vehicles with serious implications on the maintenance, saying that the progressive use of research results in the development and manufacture of vehicles has shifted focus from the usual manual system of diagnosing the problems of automobiles.
He added that there is no doubt that there are several incompetent mechanics all over Nigeria causing more damages to the vehicles, saying that “it is in the Agency’s quest to add value to the automobile service industry that we initiated the mechatronics training.
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