Global infrastructure giant, General Electric, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government of Cross River State to upgrade and equip the mechanical/electrical workshops of the Government Technical College, Ikot-Effanga, Calabar, Cross River State. The project will cost GE over $2 million. During the MoU signing ceremony, the Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke, thanked GE for its commitment to investment in Nigeria particularly Cross River State, saying that GE’s holistic approach to supporting the Government Technical College was a strategic way of ensuring that graduating students of the school are employable.
He called on youths in the state to take advantage of GE’s investments in the state especially the $1billion dollar investment in a manufacturing and assembly facility.
“Today, we execute the Memorandum of Understanding between the state government and GE for the establishment of the mechanical/electrical workshops in Government Technical College, Ikot-Effanga Mkpa here in Calabar at an estimated cost of about $2million. This is part of GE’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy for building strong partnership with the state. We appreciate GE’s willingness to continually invest in Cross River State and build capacity in our people,” the governor said.
Global and Supply Chain Leader for GE Africa, Mr. Phil Griffith, said his GE was excited about its operations in Africa and the prospects and opportunities that the continent offers, adding that this was the first major step in the efforts to develop a pipeline of talents that could take up employment with the planned manufacturing facility.
He said: “The partnership is part of efforts to deepen our presence in Nigeria through a unique localisation strategy. GE will revamp the present infrastructure of the technical college to international standards, review and upgrade the school curriculum and train the school’s lecturers.”
Senior Executive, Human Resources, GE Africa, Tamla Oates-Forney, said: “As a company, we believe that our people are our most important assets and to that end, we make huge investments in training and human capital development just as a normal way of doing business globally. In Africa, it should not be any different. This is just another step of many that we are making in developing talents, not just for GE but for the continent as a whole.” Tamla also said that GE’s plan for the Government Technical College was to produce technicians that are not only employable in Calabar or in Nigeria, but are employable in any part of the world.
