Wike: FCTA to partner Republic of Ireland on agriculture, ICT

Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), has expressed his administration’s readiness to partner with the Republic of Ireland.

Wike said the partnership would be in the areas of agriculture, vocational education, information and communication technology (ICT).

The FCT minister spoke with Peter Ryan, the Irish ambassador to Nigeria, during a visit to his office in Abuja.

Wike said the partnership would boost the economy of the FCT while leveraging the strong ties between Nigeria and the Republic of Ireland.

Speaking on ICT, Wike said that the President Bola Tinubu administration would create technology jobs for the youths through his renewed hope agenda.

He added that the FCTA intends to provide opportunities for the youths in the digital economy to reduce unemployment.

“We think that we would be interested in partnering with companies in Ireland where we can build ICT hubs for the interest of the youths, to reduce the level of unemployment,” he said.

“Again, education is key for us, particularly vocational and skilled education, where our youths can acquire some skills in particular areas.”

He noted that the vast land in the FCT is critical in contributing to improvement of the economy of the city.

Wike expressed his happiness and the willingness of the FCTA to collaborate with companies in Ireland to introduce technology-based agriculture in the FCT.

He said the partnerships would be for the mutual benefit of Ireland and the FCT.

On his part, Ryan told Wike of his country’s readiness to connect FCTA to expert teams in Ireland for further discussions.

He said that Ireland has a cultural hub in its largest chamber of commerce — the Dublin Smart City, where several partners and businesses work closely.

According to him, the cultural footprint of Ireland is one of the reasons foreign investors are attracted to the country.

The Irish envoy assured Wike that he would connect the FCTA and its policy makers to the consortium of experts in his country.

“A lot of the startups in Dublin are spinouts of the big technology players like Google and Meta,” Ryan said.

“We work closely with them as indigenous startups to create jobs for young people and as you know, a lot of these people are geography neutral.

“They just want talented young people, and they want an environment where they can flourish.

“We can see the potential for it in Abuja. Maybe there is one or two little steps we could take together to demonstrate practical things.”