Nigeria must shift from an education system focused primarily on certificates to one that builds the capabilities and transferable skills graduates need to work effectively, experts have said.

The call was made at a pre-summit dialogue organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning ahead of the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit (NES#32), with participants examining the gap between education, skills development and access to employment and economic opportunities.

Speaking at a virtual dialogue, ‘The Missing Link: From Learning to Earning,’ the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Bank, Abubakar Suleiman, said the capabilities required to drive productivity and economic growth must begin to be developed from the school system.

He called for a shift from a pipeline focused primarily on certificates to an ecosystem that builds “capability, productivity and opportunity,” with transferable skills that enable graduates to contribute effectively across industries, regardless of their fields of study.

Suleiman said graduates of disciplines such as history, English and physics should leave the education system with a meaningful component of the skills required to function effectively in the workplace.

Also speaking, the Director, Programmes and Coordination, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), Oyindamola Egbeyemi, said skills development programmes should respond directly to labour-market demand.

Egbeyemi said programme design and implementation should be guided by clear economic outcomes, adding that interventions should go beyond training and certification to create measurable pathways to employment, enterprise development, productivity and improved livelihoods.

Representing the Director, Research, Innovation and Information Technology, National Universities Commission (NUC), Lawal Faruk, Assistant Director, Research, Planning and Administration, NUC, Dr Ezinne Orisakwe, said effective systems were needed to track graduates and out-of-school young people.