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By Vivian Emoni
The Federal Government has restated its commitment to equipping Nigerian youths with technical and vocational skills to enhance employability, industrial growth and sustainable national development.
Dr Jumoke Oduwole, Minister, Industry, Trade and Investment, said this at Industrial Training Fund (ITF)/Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) Stakeholders’ Dialogue Forum and 2023/2024 Outstanding Trainings’ Awards Ceremony, in Abuja.
Oduwole said that the programme was a vital platform for building a productive, innovative, and globally competitive Nigerian workforce.
She commended the ITF and the NECA for sustaining what she described as a transformative public-private partnership.
The minister said that the Technical Skills Development Project (TSDP) forum had evolved into a national benchmark for skills development and industrial competitiveness through collaboration between government and the private sector.
According to her, the project emerged from a 2009 skill-gap survey which exposed manpower shortages across six technical trade areas in the country.
She noted that since then, the initiative had expanded from six pilot trades to more than 30 trade areas, producing over 60,000 employable Nigerian youths.
Oduwole said that the programme had also upgraded 10 federal and state technical colleges and built six training workshops across the country.
She said that more than 84 partner organisations were now part of the TSDP, reflecting the growth and success of the intervention.
According to her, 90 per cent of TSDP graduates have either gained employment or established their own businesses.
The minister said the dialogue was designed to ensure that skills development remained connected to industry needs and national policy direction.
She said that the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda prioritised technical competence, digital transformation, and innovation to drive industrialisation.
The minister congratulated the TSDP award recipients, urging them to use their skills to create jobs and contribute meaningfully to the nation’s growth.
She was represented by Mr Eyitayo Oshinowo, Director, Industrial Inspectorate Department of the ministry.
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Muhammad Dingyadi, said the TSDP remained a model of how public-private partnerships could transform human capital development in Nigeria.
Dingyadi called on stakeholders to strengthen collaboration and align training with global competency standards.
He congratulated the awardees for their discipline and dedication, urging them to use their skills to uplift others through job creation.
The minister said that the government would continue to support initiatives that foster innovation, productivity and inclusive economic growth.
The minister was represented by Tiza Chaakaa, Director, Skills Development and Certification of the ministry.
The Director-General of ITF, Dr Afiz Ogun, said the programme was addressing youth restiveness by providing relevant skills, knowledge and materials to young Nigerians across the country.
Ogun said that ITF’s mandate extended beyond its well-known SUPA initiative, adding that TSDP remained one of the fund’s most impactful training projects.
According to him, the programme empowers participants to become self-reliant and employers of labour through hands-on technical skills.
He said beneficiaries were monitored after graduation to assess their application of the acquired skills and overall impact in their communities.
Ogun added that many trainees had recorded remarkable progress, proving that the initiative was producing tangible and measurable results.
Also speaking, the Director-General of NECA, Mr Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, said the partnership, established 16 years ago, had grown from six to more than 80 collaborating organisations.
Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, Minister of State for Finance, said that the ministry would continue to support the ITF and NECA in ensuring inclusive growth through skills and vocational training for the Nigerians youth.
The Minister of State for Industry, Sen. John Owan-Ewah, commended the ITF and NECA for their strong collaboration in equipping the youths with relevant practical skills for employment in various technical and vocational areas.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 37 people received awards for 2023 and 2024 outstanding trainees’ across the country. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Francis Onyeukwu
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