The West African Gas Pipeline Company Limited, (WAPCo), said it has empowered about 164 Nigerian youths with various trades and vocational tools in the areas of Fashion Designing, Catering Services, Electrical Installation and Aluminium Fabrications in Lagos and Ogun State..
Speaking at the graduation ceremony in Otta, the company’s General Manager , External Relations, Dr Isaac Adjei-Adoku, said since past 10 years, the company spent annually $750,000 on Corporate Social Responsibility Services across the four countries of operations, namely Nigeria, Ghana, Benin Republic and Togo.
Dr Adjei-Doku, who announced that Automobile Services and Cinematography would be added to the training programmes in subsequent editions, recalled that initially the focus was on providing corporate development services but later, the company decided to impart its host communities directly.
“When WAPCo started years ago, we started with Corporate Development Services by building schools and hospitals etc. But it gets to a phase where we have to embark on empowering the communities with livelihood programmes by identifying brilliant youths and the needy for scholarships and vocational skills”, he said.
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According to him, the company then earmarked $600 for each of the 170 candidates that make up the total number of trainees from Lagos and Ogun states, adding that those for vocational skills usually get more because of the additional cost of tools and equipment after graduation.
“Nigeria is our biggest community. We have 56 communities across the pipeline corridor and most of them are in this country, because that is where we have the largest section of the pipeline offshore. So we feel it’s our responsibility to give something back to the communities”.
“As a business entity and in fulfilling our bid of the UN sustainable development goals, we believe we have to give something back to the community because they gave us the land and everything to operate successfully, so it’s not just training the people with vocational skills, we also gave them the tools to establish their own businesses, so as to be able to help others out of poverty,”
On vocational tools, Dr Adjei-Doku said the company has put in place a budget that would be used to do a documentary of all the training in the four countries of operations for effective monitoring and accountability purposes.
He emphasised the importance of cordial working relationships between the organisation and host communities, adding that WAPCo would always make the welfare of its host communities a priority.
Some of the beneficiaries, who were accompanied by their parents and relatives, thanked the sponsor, expressed joy and promised to put the knowledge and skills acquired to judicious use.
In attendance were the traditional rulers of the host Communities and the chairman of Ado Odo local government, Alhaji Lawal Adewale Wasiu.
