The University of Benin (UNIBEN) has concluded the first phase of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Skill-Up Artisan (SUPA) Training Programme, empowering 200 artisans with practical and industry-relevant skills as part of efforts to strengthen national human capital development.
The close-out ceremony, held on Tuesday, brought together the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Edoba Omoregie, members of the university’s management team, programme coordinators, and beneficiaries of the initiative.
In a statement issued yesterday by the university’s spokesperson, Dr. Benedicta Ehanire, the programme was described as a key intervention under the Federal Government’s SUPA initiative, aimed at improving skills acquisition, vocational education, and employability across critical sectors of the economy.
According to the statement, the eight-week intensive training was offered free of charge and focused on diverse vocational and technical areas, including cybersecurity, tailoring, welding and fabrication, automobile maintenance, carpentry, electrical installation, plumbing, poultry and crop production, and animal husbandry.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Omoregie commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for initiating the ITF-SUPA programme, saying it represents “a strategic and timely investment in Nigeria’s human capital and workforce development, especially when practical skills are essential for economic growth.”
He reaffirmed UNIBEN’s commitment to complementing academic excellence with practical and entrepreneurial skills, noting that the university would continue to support initiatives that empower students, staff, and host communities to become self-reliant and productive.
The Vice-Chancellor added that the successful completion of the first phase of the programme “underscores the university’s resolve to contribute meaningfully to national development through capacity building and skills-driven education.”
