The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) have called on the Bank of Industry (BOI) and other stakeholders to provide more funding, equipment and other resources to help trained Nigerians start businesses and reduce unemployment.
NECA Director-General, Mr Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, made the appeal on Thursday in Abuja while speaking on behalf of the two organisations at the ITF-NECA Technical Skills Development Project Stakeholders’ Dialogue Forum and Outstanding Trainee Awards. He said stronger support would help trainees turn their technical and vocational skills into viable businesses and become self-reliant.
The event marked the 17th anniversary of the partnership between NECA and ITF, established in 2009 to improve Nigerians’ employability through technical and vocational skills development.
Oyerinde said the partnership had helped thousands of Nigerians acquire practical skills but needed additional support to expand its impact.
He urged the BOI, government agencies, development partners and private-sector organisations to provide the funding, equipment and infrastructure trainees need to establish businesses.
“We need to equip our trainees with the necessary tools and resources to translate their skills into viable businesses and reduce dependence on paid employment,” Oyerinde said.
He added that trainees needed equipment such as laptops, sewing machines, cookers and electrical and electronic tools to enable them to start businesses, including from their homes.
“We need laptops, sewing machines, cookers and electrical and electronic equipment to enable our trainees to start businesses, even from their homes,” he said.
Oyerinde said sustained investment and stronger collaboration among stakeholders were essential to bridging skills gaps and addressing unemployment in the country.
He also said the next phase of the project, through the Skills-Up Artisans initiative, would improve the skills of artisans, including plumbers and carpenters.
According to him, the initiative would strengthen artisans’ employability, support the establishment of sustainable businesses and address shortages of skilled workers in the country.
On the selection of participating organisations and trainees, Oyerinde said the project followed a transparent process involving public advertisements, interviews and tests.
“We advertise for participating organisations and trainees, conduct interviews and tests, and select candidates based on merit. It is not a question of who knows whom,” he said.
He cited Field of Skills and Dreams, Lagos, as an example of an organisation that was assessed before being accepted into the programme.
Oyerinde also disclosed that an artificial intelligence (AI) training programme implemented in collaboration with the International Organisation of Employers and Microsoft had attracted more than 101,000 registrations within six months, with over 87,000 participants obtaining certificates.
“Within six months, 101,000 Nigerians registered for the AI course and more than 87,000 obtained certificates,” he said.
He said the figures showed Nigerians’ interest in digital skills and highlighted the need to expand access to training opportunities that respond to changing workplace demands.
Earlier, the Country Director of the International Labour Organisation, Dr Vanessa Phala, said skills development remained critical to employability, entrepreneurship and decent work.
Phala urged stakeholders to promote inclusive training in digital, green, agricultural and healthcare skills, alongside the soft skills needed to succeed in an evolving labour market.
In his remarks, BOI Managing Director, Dr Olasupo Olusi, represented by the bank’s Chief Financial Officer, Mr Taiwo Kolawole, stressed the importance of partnerships between industry and training institutions.
Olusi said training programmes should respond to industry needs, adding that practical skills, innovation and collaboration could improve productivity and contribute to economic growth.
Speaking on behalf of the award recipients, Ms Zeenatudeen Yusuf commended the organisers for the programme’s impact on their lives and future prospects.
“Our lives have been transformed, and our future is bright. We have been moved out of the labour market,” she said.
