As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) under global ‘Hope for Children’ initiative, Samsung Electronics West Africa has launched its third African engineering academy in Nigeria.
Samsung partnered with the Eko Project, a World Bank assisted initiative aimed at improving the quality of public secondary education, in launching the academy in Lagos, Nigeria within the Agidimgbi Technical College, Ikeja.
The function was officiated by the Governor of Lagos State Babatunde Fashola, senior officials of the state including Samsung’s leadership and partners in Nigeria.
During the opening, Babatunde said upcoming technicians must be exposed to cutting-edge technology if they are to remain competitive.
“The ability to repair the latest technology is key to wealth creation for technicians,” he said.
Also present at the function was Samsung Electronics West Africa’s managing director Nicholas Shin who said: “Our aim is to promote co-operation, innovation, wealth creation and to facilitate thought leadership in the communities in which we operate in response to their real needs and conditions.”
The academy becomes the third of its kind that Samsung is developing in Africa, with South Africa’s having been their first in March 2012 followed by Kenya’s in January 2012.
The academy is equipped with the latest electronics aimed at addressing the shortage of technical and engineering skills in Nigeria. It will provide hands-on vocational skills training for secondary school students where students will go through one-year’s program in engineering skills, aligned to their technical school’s curriculum.
Samsung has also engaged with other technology initiatives including world-first Solar Powered Internet School model and the Samsung E-learning Centres to enhance learning and teaching using modern technology.
