Nigeria: Govt Targets Youth Unemployment Through Technical Skills Reform

Federal Government has disclosed plans to reduce unemployment in the country, saying it has developed a framework to connect available skills and labour market demands through technical and vocational training.

Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said government was implementing the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative, NESRI, a comprehensive education reform programme, to achieve this objective.

Alausa said the initiative was necessary because Nigeria's population was projected to exceed 350 million people by 2050, with nearly 70 per cent under the age of 30.

He added that, through NESRI, more than 4,000 instructors and teachers had been trained in modern teaching methods and industry-specific trades.

According to him, over 2,500 quality assurance managers had also been trained and deployed to strengthen standards across federal technical colleges, vocational enterprise institutions and skills training centres.

He disclosed that government had upgraded more than 38 technical workshops and laid the foundation for a modern national skills infrastructure.

He spoke at the National Technical and Vocational Education and Training, TVET, 2026 conference, themed: 'Harnessing TVET as a Pathway to Employment: Building a System for Employability Inclusion and Green Growth in Nigeria,' held in Lagos.

In his address, he said: "Nations that invest aggressively in skills development today will dominate the economies of tomorrow. For Nigeria, this is not merely an educational challenge; it is an economic imperative. Under the visionary leadership of President Bola Tinubu, education has become a cornerstone of the administration. Mr President recognises that Nigeria's greatest asset is not its oil, minerals, or natural resources, but its people particularly its youthful population.

"We have launched the National Skills Information Centre and are operationalizing a National Job Matching Platform that will connect skills acquisition directly to employment opportunities 21. I am sure you would agree with me that this marks a fundamental shift from training-for-training's-sake to a genuine skills-to-jobs ecosystem.

"Our goal is very clear: Every TVET graduate should possess skills that are relevant, marketable, certified, and linked to economic opportunities. The next phase of reform will focus on scaling quality, deepening industry participation, strengthening labour market linkages and ensuring sustainable financing for skills development. Our objective is not simply to reduce unemployment, but also to build a productive workforce. Strengthen industria