NWDC to Support Conversion of Kano College to Technical College, Plans Gemmology Skills Hub<\/p>\n
The Managing Director\/CEO of the North-West Development Commission (NWDC), Prof. Shehu Ma\u2019aji, has assured the management of Kano State College of Education of the Commission’s support for its conversion to a College of Education (Technical).<\/p>\n
Prof. Ma\u2019aji gave the assurance on Wednesday September 23, when he received the Provost of the College, Dr. Muntaka Dahiru, and his management team on a courtesy visit to the Commission’s headquarters.<\/p>\n
Dr. Dahiru stated that the visit was to seek collaboration for the College’s transition to technical status and to explore partnership in skills development, particularly in mining and emerging technologies.<\/p>\n
He explained that the 11-year-old institution, which currently runs Remedial, IJMB\/Pre-NCE and NCE programmes, has introduced new certificate courses in Forensic Science and Cybersecurity, as well as Gemmology and Dimension Stone to expand its relevance.<\/p>\n
According to him, the Gemmology programme was informed by the huge deposits of gemstones in the Doguwa axis of Kano State. He disclosed that youths in the area realized about N40 million from gemstones mined last year alone, highlighting the sector’s economic potential. He added that the College is already collaborating with the Department of Geology, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), which has conducted field visits to the area.<\/p>\n
Dr. Dahiru noted that upon assumption of office in March 2025, he submitted a memo to the Governor of Kano State seeking the conversion, which was approved and forwarded to the State Executive Council.<\/p>\n
He stressed that the conversion is imperative as Kano State has no state-owned College of Education (Technical). The only technical college of education in the state is the Federal College of Education (Technical), Bichi, located in Kano North, leaving a gap in Kano Central and South.<\/p>\n
In his response, Prof. Ma\u2019aji commended the College for its innovative approach and alignment with the region’s economic realities.<\/p>\n
He said the focus on gemmology aligns directly with the Commission’s North-West Mineral Value Chain Initiative, which seeks to formalize artisanal mining, train youths in value addition, and discourage raw export of mineral resources.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe establishment of NWDC is to serve as a catalyst for institutions like yours. We are not just building roads and schools; we are building the human capital to drive the economy of the North-West. Your initiative on gemmology is timely. Our region is blessed, but we must train our people to benefit from what Allah has given us,\u201d Prof. Ma\u2019aji said.<\/p>\n
The MD\/CEO assured that the Commission will review the College’s submission and has directed the Directorates of Human Capital Development and Solid Minerals to conduct a joint needs assessment visit to the College.<\/p>\n
He added that the Commission is considering designating the institution as a pilot Gemmology and Dimension Stone Skills Centre for Kano South.<\/p>\n
In a statement by Abdulrashid Safana, NWDC’s Director, Press and Public Relations, Prof Ma’aji reiterated NWDC\u2019s commitment to supporting state-owned tertiary institutions not captured under TETFund to attain technical status and meet national regulatory standards.<\/p>\n
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NWDC to Support Conversion of Kano College to Technical College, Plans Gemmology Skills Hub The Managing Director\/CEO of the North-West Development Commission (NWDC), Prof. Shehu Ma\u2019aji, has assured the management of Kano State College of Education of the Commission’s support for its conversion to a College of Education (Technical). Prof. Ma\u2019aji gave the assurance on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":152468,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[3522,3309],"class_list":["post-152465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-others","tag-kano-state-college-of-education","tag-north-west-development-commission"],"yoast_head":"\n