General Electric (GE), one of the world’s best digital industrial firms, Wednesday, graduated 28 young Nigerian entrepreneurs from its Lagos Garage training programme.
The programme enabled participants to work directly with the latest manufacturing technologies, including the 3D printers and laser cutters, which drive innovation through rapid prototyping.
The 28 candidates, who passed out from the hi-tech programme, where the third batch of the Nigerian Entrepreneurs Graduates training from the GE’s Lagos Garage.
The garage is a hub for advanced manufacturing-based innovation, strategy development, idea generation and collaboration.
The new graduates, who joined the programme in the first week of June, following a rigorous selection process, received four weeks of training on advanced manufacturing technology and business development.
Participants learnt how to design and create products which will help position them as vital players in the advanced manufacturing and innovation ecosystem.
The program also exposed the participants to a variety of world-class instructors and technical experts, who not only provided mentorship but support on developing their business ideas.
Speaking during a media tour of the Garage in Lagos, the Director, Communications and Public Affairs, GE Africa, Patricia Obozuwa said the initiative was created to build Nigerian knowledge and capability, which will ultimately lead to the creation of more businesses and jobs.
Mrs. Obozuwa expressed the belief that the GE Lagos Garage program will create new innovators who will lead and drive Nigeria’s manufacturing sector in the near future.
She re-emphasized GE’s commitment to skills development, saying, “We are very passionate about skills development in Nigeria and as such, are proud to have trained 95 young Nigerian entrepreneurs till date, since the launch of the Lagos Garage hub in November 2016.
“The Garage graduates have been empowered to transform their ideas into practical business models which in a little time will have a positive impact on the Nigerian economy by empowering people to create jobs for themselves.”
GE created the Garages experience in March 2012 to reinvigorate America’s interest in invention, innovation, and manufacturing.
In 2014, Garages went global with its first international exhibition in Lagos, Nigeria.
Given the success of the 2014 pilot program, in November 2016, GE launched the permanent installation of The Lagos Garage in alignment with the Federal Government’s focus on driving localisation and job creation.
GE is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive.
It is organised around a global exchange of knowledge, the “GE Store,” through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect.
Each invention is said to further fuel innovation and application across industrial sectors and with people, services, technology and scale, GE prides itself at delivering better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry.
