Key Points:
- The Technical Training Program celebrated the graduation of 78 trainees in electrical installation and welding. Each received a start-up grant of 100,000 naira (about $73 USD).
- The program was relaunched under the leadership of Bishop Ande I. Emmanuel, who has placed young people’s economic empowerment at the heart of the church’s mission.
- Church leaders hope to expand the program to include mechanics, carpentry, hospitality and digital skills.
The United Methodist Church in Nigeria has officially relaunched a Technical Training Program more than 20 years after suspending the initiative.
On July 1, 78 trainees graduated the vocational program with skills in electrical installation and welding fabrication. Each graduate received a start-up grant of 100,000 naira (about $73 USD) to help them launch their own businesses.
Bishop Ande I. Emmanuel, who leads the Nigeria Episcopal Area, which includes Cameroon and Senegal, said the graduation ceremony was not only a celebration of the students but also a celebration of the restoration of the program in Jalingo in the Southwest Nigeria Conference.
“It is not just about earning certificates, but about gaining the capacity to build homes, industries, communities and the nation’s future,” he said.
The Rev. Gloria Iliya Dogara, the bishop’s administrative assistant for the Southwest Nigeria Conference, described the program as a new era of reconciliation, empowerment and community transformation through vocational training.
The Technical Training Program was established in 1991 in Zing, Taraba State, at the initiative of missionary Uwe Buctwiz, with support from the German Mission Board. Designed as a holistic mission ministry, the program aimed to address unemployment and poverty by equipping young Nigerians with technical, business and entrepreneurial skills, enabling them to become self-sufficient and create jobs.
For more than a decade, the program trained young Nigerians in technical trades while introducing them to business management and financial responsibility — reflecting the church’s belief that education should empower individuals spiritually, socially and economically.
The program declined starting in the mid-2000s, weakened by administrative difficulties and other challenges. The training ceased operating in 2005.
Bishop Emmanuel, who has made youth empowerment a priority, relaunched the program in 2025, appointing the Rev. John Ayuba Gwagwe — one of the program’s founding staff members — as principal of the program, and Henry Ngai as director.
The program features six months of in-school learning and two months of on-the-job experience.
“As a church committed to proclaiming the Gospel for the transformation of the world, we believe that this transformation must also include economic empowerment and the restoration of human dignity,” Emmanuel said.
A communion service was held as part of the ceremony to give thanks to God for reviving the program. Many saw the graduation as a sign of renewal, calling it a source of healing for the future of Nigeria’s young people.
Emmanuel urged the graduates to show excellence, integrity, discipline, innovation and a spirit of service, encouraging them to become employers rather than job seekers.
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Speaking on behalf of the graduates, Anita Augustine, class delegate for the Electrical and Electronics department, thanked the bishop for his commitment to equipping young people with the skills needed to become productive, economically independent members of society.
“This effort is a lifelong commitment that we will always remember,” she said.
Emmanuel said the church plans to expand the Technical Training Program to incorporate entrepreneurship, financial literacy, digital skills, Christian leadership and business management. Ngai said new tracks under consideration include carpentry and furniture making, tiling and floor finishing, event management and decoration, auto mechanics, catering and hospitality services, mobile phone repair, as well as ceiling installation and interior finishing.
“This initiative aims to empower young people to be self-sufficient and independent, rather than mere job seekers,” Emmanuel said.
To support the expansion, the church approved a contract worth 35 million naira (equivalent to about $25,380 USD) for the renovation and modernization of the technical training center.
The project calls for renovating student housing, modernizing classrooms, workshops and laboratories, acquiring modern equipment and improving electricity, water, sanitation, campus security and technology facilities.
Since its founding, the program has benefited from the support of The United Methodist Church in Nigeria, which provided the administrative leadership, land, infrastructure and staff needed for it to operate, as well as from local congregations, whose prayers, financial support and volunteer work accompanied the relaunch.
Graduate Samson Weldon expressed his appreciation to the bishop for the opportunity to acquire practical skills in welding and fabrication.
He described the opportunity as a great privilege that has equipped him with valuable vocational skills, enabling him to become more productive and work toward economic independence.
“It has inspired me to become a responsible and productive member of society.”
Auta is director of communications for the Nigeria Episcopal Area.
News media contact: Julie Dwyer at newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.
