The Federal Government has placed Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) at the centre of its ₦2.4 trillion 2026 education budget, with a clear target to equip over five million young Nigerians with employable and entrepreneurial skills.
The Minister of Education, , made this known while defending the Federal Ministry of Education’s 2026 budget proposal before the Joint Committees on Education of the National Assembly. According to him, expanding TVET is critical to addressing youth unemployment, closing skills gaps, and aligning Nigeria’s workforce with modern economic demands.
The 2026 framework, he explained, is structured to deliver measurable outcomes, not just allocations on paper. While universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, parastatals and Unity Colleges all received significant budgetary provisions, the expansion of TVET stands out as a strategic intervention focused directly on practical skills and job readiness.
Under the proposal, TVET expansion aims to provide structured training pathways that equip young people with technical, vocational and entrepreneurial competencies. The goal is not only to prepare them for paid employment but also to support them in building small and medium-scale enterprises that can create additional jobs.
The Minister stressed that appropriation must translate into execution and visible impact. He described rollover provisions as evidence that critical education projects, including vocational infrastructure and skill centres, will not be abandoned during fiscal transitions. This approach is expected to strengthen continuity in ongoing technical training initiatives across the country.
Beyond funding, the Ministry is also prioritising reforms in teacher recruitment and training to support technical education delivery. A shortage of over 3,500 teachers in Federal Unity Colleges, especially in science, mathematics and technical subjects, was highlighted during the budget defence. Addressing this gap is considered essential for strengthening the pipeline of students who can progress into vocational and technical pathways.
The TVET expansion aligns with the Ministry’s broader six-point education renewal agenda. This includes advancing STEMM education, reducing the number of out-of-school children, promoting girl-child education, deepening digitalisation, strengthening data-driven planning and enhancing community engagement. By integrating vocational training within this framework, the government aims to build a more inclusive and skills-oriented education system.
Lawmakers, however, emphasised the need for strict accountability. The Co-Chairman of the Joint Committee and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, , reminded the Ministry of the National Assembly’s constitutional mandate to scrutinise budget implementation and ensure that funds correspond with measurable physical progress.
“We must ensure that projects do not appear repeatedly in budget documents without visible execution. Our responsibility is to guarantee that public funds are tied to measurable delivery,” he said.
Other lawmakers, including and , requested detailed nominal rolls and Internally Generated Revenue submissions to ensure transparency and compliance with constitutional provisions.
Responding, the Minister assured the committees that comprehensive documentation would be submitted promptly. He described the engagement as a collaborative partnership anchored on accountability, efficiency and timely project completion.
The emphasis on TVET reflects growing recognition that academic degrees alone cannot solve Nigeria’s employment challenges. With millions of young people entering the labour market annually, practical and industry-relevant skills are increasingly seen as essential for economic stability and inclusive growth.
If effectively implemented, the planned expansion could reshape the country’s skills ecosystem by strengthening technical colleges, modernising training facilities, enhancing instructor capacity and linking trainees to real economic opportunities. The target of five million beneficiaries signals one of the most ambitious vocational education drives in recent years.
Following deliberations, the Joint Committees formally received and adopted the Ministry’s submission for further legislative consideration. Additional documentation is expected to be transmitted through the Permanent Secretary as requested.
As the 2026 budget process advances, the success of the TVET expansion will depend not only on allocation size but on consistent execution, monitoring and measurable outcomes that translate policy ambition into real opportunities for Nigerian youths.
