60,000 Youths Benefit from TSDP as FG Commends ITF–NECA Partnership on Skills Training

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to partnering with the private sector to drive industrialization and inclusive growth through skills acquisition and vocational training for Nigerian youths.

The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Owan, stated this during the ITF–NECA Stakeholders’ Dialogue Forum and 2023/2024 Outstanding Trainees’ Awards Ceremony held in Abuja.

Senator Owan commended the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) for its collaboration with the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) in implementing skills development and vocational training programmes over the past sixteen years. He noted that President Bola Tinubu’s administration remains dedicated to empowering youths to enable them to contribute meaningfully to national economic development.

He further explained that various reforms and interventions have been introduced by the administration to promote the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), job creation, youth development, and overall economic progress.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, lauded the Skilled Up Artisans (SUPA) programme of the ITF, describing it as one of the laudable initiatives of the current administration aimed at training and empowering Nigerian youths. She pledged her Ministry’s continued support for programmes designed to keep young people productively engaged through skills acquisition and vocational training.

Dr. Uzoka-Anite emphasized the importance of sustained collaboration between the public and private sectors to curb unemployment, make youths self-reliant, and reduce crime rates in the society.

In his remarks, the Director-General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Dr. Oluwatoyin Afiz-Ogun, disclosed that 60,000 youths have benefited from the Technical Skills Development Project (TSDP) under the ITF–NECA partnership in the last sixteen years.

According to him, the TSDP stands as a testament to the power of collaboration between the government and the private sector, producing innovators, problem solvers, and nation builders who are shaping Nigeria’s industrial and economic future.

“As our country advances on the path of industrialization and inclusive growth, one truth remains constant — skills are the new currency of national development,” he stated.

Dr. Afiz-Ogun added that a skilled workforce is essential for national competitiveness and economic growth, underscoring the significance of the ITF–NECA TSDP in building Nigeria’s human capital base.

Earlier, the Director-General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Mr. Adewale Smart, revealed that beneficiaries of the TSDP were trained in 35 trade areas, leading to the upgrade of several federal educational institutions across the country.

He further noted that the Stakeholders’ Dialogue Forum was simultaneously held in nine centres nationwide.