The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment (FMLE), in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO), has trained a new pool of business development trainers under the globally recognised Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) programme as part of efforts to address Nigeria’s growing unemployment and underemployment challenges.
The initiative is being implemented through the Strengthening Employment and Employability Systems in Nigeria (SEESIN) and Action for Improving Labour Migration Governance in Nigeria (ACTION) projects, both funded by the German development agency, GIZ, and designed to strengthen inclusive employment and entrepreneurship support systems nationwide.
As part of the collaboration, a Training Needs Assessment was carried out to identify gender and social inclusion gaps across Job Centres, Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs), employers’ organisations and workers’ partner institutions. The findings guided the delivery of an intensive 10-day Training of Trainers under the ILO’s SIYB programme.
The training, which recently concluded in Abuja, produced more than 24 technically proficient and certified SIYB trainers. The trainers are expected to cascade entrepreneurship and business management skills across the country, with a focus on youth, women and workers in the informal sector.
Speaking at the closing session, the Director of the ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and Liaison Office for ECOWAS, Dr Vanessa Phala, described the programme as “a significant milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to address persistent labour-market challenges, including youth underemployment, informality, and barriers faced by women, persons with disabilities, and other marginalised groups.”
According to reports, Nigeria continues to face high levels of youth unemployment and underemployment, with millions of jobseekers entering the labour market every year without adequate skills or resources to start and sustain productive enterprises.
Phala explained that the SIYB Training of Trainers delivered under the SEESIN and ACTION projects is designed to build a pool of “technically proficient, gender-responsive, and socially inclusive-certified SIYB trainers.”
“For the ILO, the SIYB programme is critical for promoting financial inclusion, enabling informed decision-making, and supporting pathways to decent work, particularly for populations vulnerable to economic displacement or migration,” she said.
The partners reaffirmed commitment to expanding sustainable employment opportunities nationwide.
