Nigeria eyes Brazilian model for automobile sector revival

DESPERATE to revive the country's ailing automobile sector, Nigeria is considering the adoption of the Brazilian revival strategy, which is knowledge-based.The Brazilian automobile revival strategy has turned the country to one of the leading automobile producer in the world.According to a report, the strategy, just as it was done in Brazil, is expected to involve the development of local manpower capacity in modern automobile technology, through the emergence of automotive engineering degree curriculum to fast-track the process of the revival.Some top Brazilian automotive experts, who were in the country yesterday, to assist Nigeria to develop the needed automotive engineering degree curriculum, as in their country, said in Abuja, that a new up-to-date curriculum that would produce competent automotive engineers for the country would evolve from the partnership.Already, a committee that would handle the curriculum development programme had been inaugurated.The Director-General of the National Automotive Council (NAC), Aminu Jalal said: 'While automotive technology has been progressing in leaps and bounds, such that no modern equipment represents the convergence of technologies like the automobile, our training of people to service, repair, design, manufacture and test vehicles has remained outdated. This is particularly so as our training of engineer disciplines still emphasizes separate disciplines, without the convergence of mechanical, electrical and ICT in the new field of mechantronics.'The National Automotive Council (NAC) is making efforts to reverse this trend, starting with the training of automotive mechanics. As a first step, we recently undertook a mechanic's skill gap assessement. The survey found that 80per cent of the skill deficiencies of the Nigerian auto-technicians centered mainly on the electrical and electronic systems, while 20 per cent are on incorrect work methods, safety and environment, as well as poor workshops management and organisational ability.'To remedy the situation, the council said it would develope a new curriculum and training manuals for the teaching of mechanics in modern automotive technology.Besides, the council plans to develop new curriculum on automotive technology for Polytechnics through the National Board for Technical Education.'The next curriculum to be developed in this series is a degree programme in automotive engineering. That is the reason we approached the NUC for assistance and the reason e are here today,' he said.
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