By Vivian Emoni
The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) have strengthened collaboration to promote skills development and support industrial growth through a clearer division of responsibilities.
The ITF Director-General, Dr Afiz Ogun, said this at a joint news conference organised by the ITF and NBTE on Thursday in Abuja.
Ogun said the conference was convened to explain the Federal Government’s resolution of the long-standing overlap in the mandates of both agencies and present a coordinated framework.
He said the government resolved years of overlapping responsibilities among agencies involved in skills development through a clear division of mandates to strengthen industrial training and workforce development.
“Previous ambiguities in agency mandates weakened skills development in spite of rising unemployment and increasing dependence on foreign skilled workers.
“Nigeria still imports artisans, technicians and skilled workers even with the abundant human resources and educational institutions,” he said.
According to him, President Bola Tinubu’s administration has prioritised skills development as a strategy for tackling unemployment, promoting practical knowledge and driving economic growth across sectors.
He added that only about seven per cent of Nigeria’s workforce was engaged in white-collar employment, while approximately 93 per cent operated within the informal sector.
Ogun said the National Council on Skills, chaired by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, ended decades of uncertainty by clearly defining responsibilities for formal and informal skills development.
He explained that the agreement assigned formal skills training to the NBTE, while the ITF would oversee informal skills development, apprenticeships and industry-based training programmes nationwide.
According to him, the NBTE will regulate polytechnics, technical colleges and other formal institutions, while the ITF will connect graduates with employers and strengthen workforce readiness.
He added that the ITF would develop a national database for artisans and technicians to improve certification, regulation and access to modern technologies and industry opportunities.
Ogun said the arrangement would align informal sector skills with the Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework and international standards, enhancing competitiveness and workforce mobility.
He described the agreement as a major achievement under the Renewed Hope Agenda, saying it provided clarity for stakeholders and strengthened Nigeria’s skills development architecture.
Speaking earlier, the Executive Secretary of NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaje, described the conference as an opportunity to explain recent developments in the nation’s skills development sector.
Bugaje said the NBTE was established to regulate technical education outside the university system and oversee implementation of the Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework nationwide.
He said the board had carried out its statutory responsibilities for 49 years in spite of challenges arising from overlapping mandates and responsibilities shared with other government agencies.
According to him, the National Council on Skills recently reviewed and ratified the harmonisation of the mandates of the NBTE and ITF.
“The agreement established a clear roadmap for both agencies to work together in achieving national skills development goals,” he said.
Bugaje said the NBTE would focus on regulating technical and vocational education to ensure graduates possessed competencies that met industry requirements and labour market demands.
He added that the board was collaborating with the ITF to expand industry-based practical training opportunities for students across technical and vocational institutions nationwide.
According to him, Nigeria’s reliance on foreign artisans for major construction projects highlights weaknesses in the country’s technical and vocational education system.
Bugaje expressed confidence that the partnership would reposition technical education, improve skilled manpower development and support Nigeria’s industrialisation and economic transformation agenda.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru