GIZ, FG Pledge to Strength Collaboration on Technical Education

Gideon Arinze in Enugu

The German Agency for International Corporation (GIZ) and the Federal Government have pledged to strengthen collaboration in revolutionizing technical education and building a skilled labour market that will drive economic growth, innovations, and prosperity.

The pledge was made yesterday, at the end of a two-day Interregional technical and vocational education and training (TVET) forum for the South East and South South under the Skills Development for Youth Employment (SKYE II) programme.

SKYE II is being implemented by the GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, with co-funding from the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation

Speaking during the event, Programme Component Manager for TVET, GIZ-SKYE, Rachel Schipper said that through the programme, GIZ will continue to contribute to Nigeria’s sustainable development priorities by promoting employment creation, strengthening the quality of the TVET system, fostering gender equality, and advancing inclusive and decent work opportunities.

“As we face increasing demands for a skilled, adaptable workforce, it has become clear that no single institution can achieve this alone,” she said.

She noted that partnerships between states, boards, training institutions, and the private sector are essential to ensure that skills development programmes remain responsive to labour market needs and youth employment priorities.

“To achieve this, we must promote national awareness, drive knowledge-sharing platforms, and work towards the development of green skills curricula and a coordinated National Green Skills Strategy,” she said.

On her part, the Technical Assistant to the Federal Ministry of Education on TVET, Nabilla Mohammed said that the Nigerian government remains committed to building the vocational and technical skills of youths as a way of dealing with the massive unemployment.

“The government has set aside 5 percent of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, (TETFUND) to fund TVET activities,” she said. “Currently, we have over 437 approved skills acquisition centres across Nigeria,”.