A development and train
ing expert, Dr Kayode Ogungbuyi, has advised the Federal Government to develop a road map to address and identify skill gap in the country.
Ogungbuyi told The Tide source yesterday in Abuja that there was need to conduct needs assessment and skill inventory to determine the actual gap.
He said the country needed to provide and train professionals in the next five years to operate the required infrastructure to achieve economic development.
He said that in the Construction Sector, there would be a massive shortage of skilled artisans – Carpenters, Bricklayers, Iron-benders and Welders by 2021, if nothing is done to fill the gap.
“ We need about one million artisans annually over the next five years to fill this gap
“Transport infrastructure – vehicles, road, rail, cable and financing of transport (at least 500,000 are needed annually to fill the gap in this sector).
“Aviation infrastructure – air traffic control technology in aviation (1,000 needed annually over a 5-year period) and in the rail transport, 2,500 artisans will be needed.
“No fewer than 100,000 artisans will be needed to build transport infrastructure such as roads, bridges and tunnels during the period,’’ he said.
On Critical Infrastructure, the expert said that 500,000 professionals would be required to sustain human life in hospitals and for ancilliary facilities annually for the period.
The expert said that no fewer than 200,000 professionals would be needed annually in energy infrastructure for generation, transmission, distribution and storage of fossil fuels and renewable sources.
“Hazardous waste – characteristics, disposal, handling of hazardous waste (17,500 needed per annum over the next five years).
“Information and communication infrastructure – systems of information generation, transmission, storage and distribution (100,000 needed annually over the next five years)
“Public capital – government-owned assets (50,000 needed annually over the next 5 years),’’ he said.
In addition, Ogungbuyi said that in public works, building   municipal infrastructure, maintenance functions and agencies, 150,000 professionals would be needed annually over the next five years.
He said in solid waste – generation, collection, transportation, recycling, management and disposal of trash/garbage, 100,000 workers would be needed.
According to him, 70,000 professionals will be needed to sustain urban infrastructure such as fixing technology, architecture and implement policy for sustainable living
“Water infrastructure – the generation, transmission, transportation, storage, distribution and maintenance of water supply (50,000 needed yearly over the next five years).
‘Also, in wastewater infrastructure – disposal and treatment of wastewater, 20,000 professionals will be needed annually over the period to fill the gap.
“Ports, Free Trade Zones & Industrial Parks, Gas Pipelines, Gas Refining and Processing have not been included in the above estimates,’’ Ogunbiyi said.
The expert further explained that infrastructure referred to structures, systems and facilities serving the economy of a business, industry, country, city, town, or area.
He also said that it included the services and facilities necessary for its economy to function effectively.