The Federal Government has unveiled a vocational and skills acquisition training programme for 18,000 artisans across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as part of efforts to tackle unemployment, promote self-reliance and reduce poverty.

The initiative, being implemented by the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), will commence on Tuesday in 229 accredited training centres nationwide.

Speaking at the official flag-off ceremony in Abuja, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Bernard Doro, said the programme aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to empowering vulnerable Nigerians and creating sustainable pathways to economic independence.

According to the minister, the training is designed to equip beneficiaries with practical vocational skills that would enable them to transition from vulnerability to self-sufficiency.

“One of the key reasons why we are doing this flag-off is to ensure that over 18,000 Nigerians are empowered through skill acquisition so that they can get into that pathway from vulnerability to self-sustainability,” he said.

He explained that the two-week training programme targets individuals who already possess basic skills and require additional training to improve their competence and productivity.

“They will be up-skilled and then given tools so that they can begin to trade with them,” he added.

Doro assured that the government had put in place robust monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, including a digital tracking system, to monitor beneficiaries and ensure accountability in the distribution and use of starter packs.

Providing an overview of the initiative, NSIPA National Coordinator and Chief Executive Officer, Associate Professor Badamasi Lawal, disclosed that the programme would be implemented through 229 centres spread across the country, using accredited government technical colleges, vocational institutions and approved training facilities.

He said the programme offers competency-based training in 14 high-demand vocational trades, including automobile technology, agricultural technology, baking and confectionery, carpentry and furniture making, catering services, electrical installation, housekeeping and hospitality services, jewellery and bead making, masonry, plumbing, welding and fabrication, fashion design and sewing, grinding machine operations, and vulcanising and tyre services.

Lawal noted that beneficiaries would also receive entrepreneurship training covering business management, financial literacy, customer relations, cooperative development, digital literacy and enterprise sustainability.

He added that successful participants would be provided with trade-specific starter packs to enable them to immediately establish businesses and generate income.

According to him, beneficiaries were selected through a transparent and inclusive process involving the National Assembly, state governments, traditional and religious leaders, community development associations, youth and women groups, persons with disabilities and other stakeholders.

Priority, he said, was given to unemployed youths, women, vulnerable persons and economically disadvantaged Nigerians with the potential to build sustainable livelihoods after the training.

Lawal explained that the programme was partly conceived to address the challenge of vocational equipment and starter packs that had remained unused in warehouses across the country due to administrative and operational bottlenecks.

He noted that prolonged storage had led to the deterioration of some equipment and rising warehouse costs.

“Rather than allowing these public assets to depreciate, the Federal Government approved their refurbishment, deployment and distribution to qualified beneficiaries after practical skills training,” he said.

He added that the initiative would transform dormant assets into productive tools for job creation, enterprise development and poverty reduction while supporting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and local economic growth.

Lawal also warned beneficiaries against selling the equipment provided to them, stressing that all distributed items would be tracked to ensure they are used for their intended purposes.

In his remarks, the National Programme Manager, Dr. Nsikak Amos Okon, described the Renewed Hope Vocational and Skills Training Programme as a strategic response to the growing need for market-driven vocational education and enterprise development.

According to him, the programme is aimed at restoring hope, unlocking opportunities and empowering Nigerians with the skills and resources needed to become productive members of society.

“This programme is not merely about vocational training. It is about restoring hope, unlocking opportunities, building self-reliance and empowering Nigerians to contribute meaningfully to the nation’s future,” he said.