The Federal Government has commissioned the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) Automotive Training Centre in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, the first NADDC automotive training centre commissioned in the South-East.
The facility was commissioned on Friday, September 18, 2026, as part of efforts to strengthen technical skills development, youth empowerment and the growth of Nigeria’s automotive industry.
Speaking at the commissioning, the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, said the establishment of the centre reflected the Federal Government’s focus on skills development, human capital development and industrialisation.
Enoh said emerging technologies, including electric vehicles and improved energy management systems, had increased the need for specialised technical training to prepare young Nigerians for opportunities in the evolving automotive sector.
He noted that the centre would provide practical and industry-relevant training for youths, technicians, artisans, students, vehicle owners, entrepreneurs and other automotive practitioners across Ebonyi and the wider South-East region.
The Minister also assured that the Federal Government would provide the necessary support to enable the facility achieve its objectives.
Also speaking, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NADDC, Oluwemimo Joseph Osanipin, said the centre was established to promote technical excellence, innovation, entrepreneurship, vehicle maintenance and repair, technology transfer and collaboration with the automotive industry.
Osanipin explained that the facility was equipped with modern training tools and facilities designed to prepare trainees for developments in the automotive sector and strengthen the region’s technical workforce.
He added that the centre would support the development of skills relevant to emerging automotive technologies and contribute to employment creation and the expansion of the automotive value chain.
In his remarks, Ebonyi State Governor, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, described the centre as an investment in the future of the state’s young people.
Nwifuru urged youths to take advantage of the facility and acquire technical skills, stressing that technical education should not be regarded as inferior to conventional academic education.
He said properly trained automobile technicians, engineers and fabricators could establish businesses, develop innovative solutions and create employment opportunities.
The governor also called on automobile manufacturers, investors and indigenous entrepreneurs to explore opportunities in Ebonyi State, assuring them of an enabling environment for technology transfer, local capacity development and sustainable job creation.
The commissioning is expected to expand access to specialised automotive training in the South-East while supporting skills acquisition, entrepreneurship and the development of a technically skilled workforce for Nigeria’s evolving automotive industry.
By Enitan Mudashiru | MUK TV News
