***Says training infrastructure must match industry needs

The National Council on Skills (NCS) has ratified the harmonisation of the mandates of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) as part of efforts to accelerate President Bola Tinubu’s industrialisation agenda and strengthen skills development across the country.

 

The Council also adopted the National Skills Observatory platform as the country’s framework for evidence-based skills planning and policymaking, while constituting a committee to review policy recommendations aimed at aligning Nigeria’s skills development strategy with national industrialisation priorities.

 

The decisions were reached at the 9th meeting of the National Council on Skills, chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima in Abuja on Tuesday.

 

Addressing the meeting, Shettima stressed the need to align Nigeria’s training infrastructure with the needs of industry, saying the reforms are central to delivering the objectives of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

 

Speaking with journalists after the meeting, the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said the Council’s deliberations were driven by the President’s directive to expand employment opportunities for young Nigerians through a more coordinated national skills development framework.

 

He noted that the Council, under the current administration, has been revitalised to deliver measurable results, particularly in equipping young Nigerians with industry-relevant skills.

 

According to Alausa, the meeting focused on streamlining the National Skills Qualification Framework, clarifying the roles of awarding bodies and sector skills councils, and strengthening the governance of technical and vocational education.

 

The minister disclosed that the Council also reviewed the proposed partnership involving the Aliko Dangote Skills Acquisition Centre in Kano and the Kano State Government, which is expected to culminate in the transfer of the facility to the Aliko Dangote Foundation.

 

Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, John Enoh, said the Federal Government was intensifying efforts to build a skilled workforce capable of driving Nigeria’s industrial transformation.

 

He said vocational and technical education remain critical to achieving sustainable industrial growth, adding that the Tinubu administration’s special skills programme is designed to prepare young Nigerians for emerging opportunities in key sectors of the economy.

 

Also speaking, Jigawa State Governor Umar Namadi described the national skills initiative as one of the most impactful programmes introduced in the country, noting that it has encouraged states to expand investments in vocational training and youth empowerment.

 

He highlighted ongoing skills development programmes in Jigawa State and commended the Tinubu administration for creating an enabling environment for states to generate employment opportunities through skills acquisition and entrepreneurship.