HYPREP trains 44 Ogoni youths in underwater welding

In Rivers State, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) is making a significant stride in its sustainable livelihood program by training 44 Ogoni ex-artisanal refiners in the highly specialized fields of underwater welding and commercial diving. This six-month intensive training, held at the Subweb Technical Training Academy in Ebube, Eleme Local Government Area, is a crucial component of HYPREP's strategy to discourage former refiners from returning to hazardous and illicit activities. The program directly addresses the environmental and health risks associated with illegal artisanal refining, as documented by the United Nations Environment Programme Report on Ogoniland.

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This intervention is a key component of HYPREP’s livelihood restoration efforts in Ogoni. It is specifically targeted at ex-artisanal refiners, providing an opportunity for them to transition from informal and hazardous activities to legal, safe, and sustainable employment.

Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, HYPREP Project Coordinator, highlighted during the orientation program that this initiative offers the youths a transformative opportunity to shift from dangerous practices to secure and sustainable livelihoods, thereby becoming valuable contributors to their communities and society. The skills being imparted—commercial diving and underwater welding—are not only specialized but also in high demand both locally and internationally. This positions the trainees for rewarding careers and underscores HYPREP's commitment to fostering environmental sustainability, safeguarding public health, and ensuring a better future for Ogoniland.

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This is the first batch covering 44 trainees out of the 100 to be trained. The skills you will acquire in commercial diving and underwater welding are highly specialised and in demand, both locally and internationally. Therefore, it is an opportunity to redefine your future and contribute to national development.

This training represents a vital intervention from a local perspective, directly tackling the socio-economic challenges intertwined with environmental degradation in the Niger Delta. By equipping former refiners with marketable skills, HYPREP is not just offering jobs; it's offering a pathway to legitimate careers and a chance to redefine their futures while contributing to national development. The program's focus on specialized, high-demand skills acknowledges the global market and aims to empower these individuals to become agents of change, raising awareness about environmental pollution and artisanal refining dangers within their communities. This initiative is a practical demonstration of how remediation efforts can be linked with livelihood restoration, creating a positive cycle of development and environmental stewardship.

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Meaning that we are going to make you have two distinct skills. One, as a qualified commercial diver. Two, a welder, but in this case, you weld under the water. Everything that the welder does in the workshop you will be doin