The Federal Government has commenced moves to develop a 10-year National Industrial Workforce Strategy aimed at addressing Nigeria’s persistent industrial skills gap and preparing the workforce for emerging industries.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industrial Training and Development, Adamson Ayinde, disclosed this on Monday at a joint press conference with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) to announce the 2nd National Industrial Manpower Summit (NIMS 2026) scheduled for October 15 and 16 in Abuja.

Ayinde said the summit, with the theme, “Unlocking Nigeria’s Human Capital for Industrial Transformation: Building Skills, Driving Innovation and Creating Prosperity,” would focus on moving from dialogue to implementation in the country’s skills-development ecosystem.

He said the proposed workforce strategy would include sector-specific workforce roadmaps, stronger Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and apprenticeship systems, deeper industry-academia collaboration and expanded skills development in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing.

According to him, NIMS was established as a Presidential platform to address the question of how Nigeria could develop a skilled, productive and innovative workforce capable of driving industrial transformation.

He said: “Nigeria cannot industrialise without developing its people.
Infrastructure is important. Capital is important. Technology is important. But ultimately, it is skilled and productive people who will operate the machines, build the enterprises, develop the technologies and create the industries.”

He said the inaugural NIMS held in 2025 attracted more than 2,500 delegates from over 10 countries, with about 120 speakers and resource persons, while more than five Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed.

He added that one of the recommendations from the 2025 summit was the establishment of a National Industrial Manpower Competence Registry/Portal, which is now being developed in partnership with the ITF and Bank of Industry (BoI).

Ayinde said the initiative was important because inadequate data on available industrial skills and projected manpower requirements remained a major challenge to workforce planning.

He also disclosed that more than 250,000 nano, micro and small businesses had received free registration and training under a presidential directive being implemented through the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), ITF and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).

He said the initiative was aimed at formalising enterprises and strengthening the capacity of Nigerians operating in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and informal sectors.

The presidential aide further said skills-development financial support was provided to about 50 participants after the 2025 summit, with plans to expand the number of beneficiaries this year.

He said the government would also strengthen the pathway from skills acquisition to certification, employment, entrepreneurship and enterprise development.

Ayinde said the 2026 summit would focus on four strategic areas: reforming workforce development for industrial growth; preparing Nigerian talent for emerging industries and future technologies; transforming skills into jobs, enterprises and manufacturing capacity; and positioning Nigeria as Africa’s hub for industrial talent and innovation.

According to him, outcomes of the summit would be assigned clear ownership, timelines and accountability, with action committees, progress monitoring, implementation of partnership agreements and continuous stakeholder engagement to follow.

Speaking, the Director-General/Chief Executive of the ITF, Afiz Ogun, described the organisation as a principal partner and co-host of the Presidential initiative, saying it would deploy its more than five decades of institutional training experience and national infrastructure to support the implementation of the summit’s outcomes.

He said the first NIMS helped establish a platform for bridging the gap between education, vocational training and industry requirements, while also catalysing strategic partnerships between government agencies and the private sector.

The ITF boss said NIMS 2.0 would focus on implementation and measurable impact, including the development of the 10-year workforce strategy, expanded TVET reforms and standardised skills certification.

He urged private-sector operators, investors and industry leaders to participate in the summit, saying it was designed to address workforce challenges affecting businesses and strengthen Nigeria’s industrial competitiveness.