FG, Lagos Develop Framework to Tackle Youth Unemployment

Sunday Okobi

The federal and Lagos State Governments yesterday disclosed that they have developed a framework to connect available skills and labour market demands through technical and vocational training aimed at reducing youth unemployment in the country.

While speaking at the National Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), 2026 conference with the theme: ‘Harnessing TVET as a Pathway to Employment: Building a System for Employability Inclusion and Green Growth in Nigeria,’ held in Lagos yesterday, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, who made the disclosure, also said the President Bola Tinubu’s government was implementing the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), a comprehensive education reform programme, to achieve this objective.

Alausa said the initiative was necessary because Nigeria’s population was projected to exceed 350 million people by 2050, with nearly 70 per cent under the age of 30.

 He added that through NESRI, more than 4,000 instructors and teachers had been trained in modern teaching methods and industry-specific trades.

The minister stated that over 2,500 quality assurance managers had also been trained and deployed to strengthen standards across federal technical colleges, vocational enterprise institutions and skills training centres.

 He disclosed that the government had upgraded more than 38 technical workshops and laid the foundation for a modern national skills infrastructure.

In his opening address, Alausa said: This conference is both timely and strategic, as we meet at a defining moment in our nation’s history when the future of work is being reshaped by technological innovation, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, automation, climate adaptation, and changing global production systems.

 “Nations that invest aggressively in skills development today will dominate the economies of tomorrow. For Nigeria, this is not merely an educational challenge; it is an economic imperative. Under the visionary leadership of President Bola Tinubu, education has become a cornerstone of the administration. The president recognises that Nigeria’s greatest asset is not its oil, minerals, or natural resources, but its people, particularly its youthful population.

“We have launched the National Skills Information Centre and are operationalising a National Job Matching Platform that will connect skills acquisition directly to employment opportunities 21. I am sure you would agree with me that this marks a fundamental shift from training-for-training’s-sake to a genuine skills-to-jobs ecosystem

 “Our goal is very clear: Every TVET graduate should possess skills that are relevant, marketable, certified, and linked to economic opportunities. The next phase of reform will focus on scaling quality, deepening industry participation, strengthening labour market linkages and ensuring sustainable financing for skills development. Our objective is not simply to reduce unemployment, but also to build a productive workforce. Strengthen industrialisation.”

 The education minister stated further that: For too long, our education system has been designed primarily to produce job seekers. Today, we are changing that narrative. We are deliberately transforming it into a system that produces innovators, technicians, entrepreneurs, artisans, manufacturers, creators, and job creators.

 This transformation is being driven through the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), our comprehensive blueprint for educational reform.

“At the heart of NESRI lies a simple but powerful conviction: skills drive productivity, productivity drives prosperity, and prosperity drives national development.

 “This conviction explains why TVET has become one of the most important pillars of our national education reform agenda.

 Distinguished participants, when we assumed office, we inherited a TVET ecosystem that was fragmented, poorly coordinated, inadequately funded, and disconnected from industry needs. This was characterized by: Multiple agencies operating independently; training standards which varied considerably; certification systems lacking harmonization; weak Labour market intelligence, and most importantly, training outcomes which often did not align with employer expectations.”

 He added, therefore, that “recognizing these challenges, the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Federal Ministry of Education, embarked on one of the most ambitious TVET reform programmes in Nigeria’s history. Since 2024, we have focused on transforming the National Skills Qualification Framework from a policy document into a fully operational National skills ecosystem.

“We launched a national TVET initiative to unify government, industry, regulators, development partners, and training providers around a shared vision for skills development.”

 Also speaking, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, made a case for TVET, describing it as not a second choice but a smart choice and a pathway to dignity, productivity, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.

 The governor, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, disclosed that the state had invested heavily in infrastructure to deliver the skills required to produce a capable workforce.

 He said that unemployment and underemployment remain significant challenges, “not because our young people lack talent or ambition, but because there is often a mismatch between education and the needs of the labour market.”

Sanwo-Olu promised that as industries evolve and technology transforms the workplace, “we must ensure that our education system produces not only job seekers, but job creators, innovators, and problem-solvers.

 “This is where Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is. “ TVET is not a second choice. It is a smart choice. It is a pathway to dignity, productivity, entrepreneurship, and economic empowerment. It equips young people with practical skills that are relevant to industry and provides them with the tools to contribute meaningfully to national development.”

In his remarks, he said: “Through the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board, we currently serve over 10,000 students annually across five government technical colleges, offering industry-relevant training in Engineering, Construction, ICT, and the creative trades. More than 3,300 students were placed in industry through our Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme last year alone, because we believe that the bridge between classroom and workplace must be built before graduation, not after.

 “Our 43 fully accredited courses, 12 newly approved programmes, and a pilot Competency-Based Training initiative running across three colleges reflect our commitment not just to access, but to quality. Over 500 industry and development partners, from GIZ and Schneider Electric to IBILE Oil and Gas, are actively co-investing in curriculum, equipment, and instructor capacity.

 “The results speak for themselves: approximately 70 per cent of LASTVEB graduates transition into employment or self-employment, and 85 per cent of participants in our Skills for Work programme have either started businesses or secured jobs. Female enrolment in male-dominated trades has grown by 23 per cent since the establishment of our dedicated Gender Unit, because an inclusive skills economy is not an aspiration in Lagos; it is a measurable target. And with solar photovoltaic systems now installed across our technical colleges, and the governor’s recent approval for the establishment of additional colleges, we are building not just for today’s workforce, but for tomorrow’s.”

 Meanwhile, the Head of Development Cooperation, German Embassy, Abuja, Dr. Karen Jansen, said that across the globe, countries are increasingly recognising that strong, responsive, and future-oriented TVET systems are indispensable for preparing young people with the practical and adaptable competencies required to navigate the job market.

 Jansen said: “This rapidly evolving LM realities shaped by digitalisation, technological innovation, and emerging economic sectors, and as Nigeria continues to increasingly recognise TVET as a strategic driver for addressing youth unemployment, skills mismatch, productivity, and economic diversification, the conference, therefore, presents an important opportunity to collectively reflect on the reforms, partner, ships and investments required to reposition the sector.”