The Federal Government has begun a new initiative under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS) to train 100 million Nigerian youths in technical and vocational skills. This move is aimed at reducing the unemployment rate and lifting millions out of poverty through practical and sustainable empowerment.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony of a new set of beneficiaries, Abiola Arogundade, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical Vocational and Entrepreneurship, explained the structure and goal of the program.
“The programme itself, the methodology is designed for it to be for two weeks, 9am to 5pm for each skill,” she said. “We are starting with Abuja. Once we have finished with Abuja, we then move to Ondo State. After Ondo State, to Kebbi, and then we cover the other three states to make sure that we cover the country.”
She highlighted that the programme is not just about teaching skills but also monitoring the progress of each participant to ensure the training leads to actual employment or self-employment. A monitoring unit has been set up to track their development and success stories.
In a show of commitment to inclusive economic growth, a team from the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, led by the Director of the Macroeconomic Analysis Department, visited some of the NPRGS beneficiaries to evaluate the programme’s impact. The visit gave the team a chance to hear directly from participants and see the program in action.
According to the director, “We are going to have people from other organizations to come and see the people that are very smart and learnt, and they are going to employ them. So we will monitor those people. But those people who are not employed from here, we are going to measure an impact assessment to say, okay, these are our KPIs, this is where we met you. Six months from now, what impact have you made, what is the multiplier effect?”
Beneficiaries of the initiative shared their excitement and aspirations. One participant said, “At the end of the day I am going to upscale. My intentions are to become a web designer.” Another added, “It’s really mind-blowing. I’m lucky to be among the participants of today because I’m doing a wealth development programme. We know how expensive it can be but doing it for free, sponsored by the government, is something I just find mind-blowing.”
The programme includes practical training in high-demand digital skills such as cybersecurity, web development, and entrepreneurship development. On Wednesday, over 200 laptops were distributed by the special assistant to NPRGS participants to support their hands-on learning.
This initiative is expected to spread across all states in the country.
In other news, Ogun State calls for application for Gen Al Fellowship Programme, to pay N50,000 Naira monthly.