Nigeria’s drive to expand vocational training has gathered strong momentum as more than 1.3 million young Nigerians have applied for enrollment in the federal government’s new Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) program. The initiative, led by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), aims to equip the country’s youth with practical, job-ready skills to meet labor market demands.
Professor Idris Muhammad Bugaje, Executive Secretary of NBTE, disclosed the figures in an interview with RFI Hausa Radio, noting the massive interest the scheme has generated across the country. “So far, about 1.3 million youth have applied, and 960,000 have been screened,” Bugaje said. “Just last week, the Minister of Education launched training for the first batch of 58,000. You might say this is a small number, but it’s only the beginning.”
According to him, the program will continue to expand as the implementation progresses. He explained that the TVET program, launched by the Ministry of Education, focuses on providing technical and vocational training that prepares Nigerian youth for self-reliance and entrepreneurship. “Nigeria is the country with the largest youth population in the world,” Bugaje stated. “If you look at the numbers, about 70% of Nigerians are under the age of 30. No other country has such a demographic.”
Bugaje highlighted the need to shift from the traditional focus on academic qualifications toward more skill-based education. He argued that Nigeria’s education system has long conditioned students to depend on government jobs that are no longer sufficient. “The problem with formal (Western) education is that it conditions your mind to believe you must get a government job,” he said. “But the government does not have enough jobs for everyone. Youth must be taught skills that help them rely on themselves.”
He added that vocational learning goes beyond classrooms, pointing to informal training spaces such as local workshops and artisan hubs as vital contributors to economic growth. “There are community-based schools everywhere, such as those in Panteka and roadside automobile workshops,” Bugaje explained. “These are also centers for vocational learning. This is a crucial pillar for economic development and needs to be supported.”
Bugaje also revealed that other ministries are complementing the Education Ministry’s efforts through specialized programs. He said the Ministry of Communications has introduced the MTT initiative to train three million youth in digital skills, including content creation and artificial intelligence. In addition, the Ministry of Works has launched NASAP to train one million youth in construction-related trades like masonry, carpentry, tiling, and plaster of Paris (POP).
“Right now in Nigeria, artisans from Benin and Togo are the ones doing our POP work, even in Abuja which is shameful,” Bugaje noted. “Meanwhile, our youth are idle, roaming neighborhoods with no jobs.”
He said while the National Education Loan Fund (NELFund) is managing funding and certification processes, NBTE is committed to monitoring centers and ensuring credible training and valid certifications.