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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Government has unveiled plans to lift five million young Nigerians out of poverty through skills acquisition and empowerment programmes designed to promote sustainable livelihoods, boost employability and encourage entrepreneurship.
Under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS), the initiative seeks to equip young Nigerians with practical, market-relevant skills to enhance their economic independence and create opportunities for self-employment.
Senior Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, Abiola Arogundade, disclosed this on Monday in Ibadan, Oyo State, at the commencement of the programme’s state phase, scheduled to run from September 28 to October 9.
Arogundade, who coordinates the programme under the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education (OSSAP-TVEE), said the initiative was part of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to empowering Nigerians through technical, vocational and entrepreneurial education.
She said the programme, which began in the Federal Capital Territory, had moved to Oyo State and would be extended to other states and geopolitical zones.
Under the Oyo State phase, 200 young Nigerians are receiving training in graphics and artificial intelligence (AI), makeup artistry and fashion designing.
Of the beneficiaries, 30 are undergoing training in graphics and AI, while 85 each are being trained in makeup artistry and fashion designing.
Beyond the training, Arogundade said the Federal Government would provide digital devices and other support to help beneficiaries establish sustainable businesses and become economically self-reliant.
She said 500 tablets would be distributed at the grand finale of the programme, bringing the number of direct beneficiaries of the training and digital empowerment components to 700.
“So with this programme, we are training 200 people. We will also be distributing 500 tablets during the grand finale of the programme as part of the Federal Government’s digital empowerment drive.
“We are directly empowering 700 people in this programme and there will be multiplier effect.
“We are not just training them for themselves but we are training them for their communities, for the population, and for all the states in Nigeria,” she said.
The presidential aide urged participants to take advantage of the training, stressing that the skills acquired should not only improve their personal livelihoods but also enable them to create opportunities for others in their communities.
She said the programme reflected the President’s commitment to addressing the economic challenges facing young Nigerians through practical interventions.
“I want to just encourage them to do their best.
“I want to encourage them to know that President Bola Tinubu is thinking about all Nigerians, all young Nigerians in the country and ready to address their plights,” she said.
Arogundade reiterated the government’s determination to expand access to technical and vocational education as a means of tackling unemployment, reducing poverty and promoting entrepreneurship.
Speaking at the event, the keynote speaker for the graphics and AI training, Oluronke Shonubi, said the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence presented opportunities for Nigeria to accelerate development and prepare young people for emerging employment opportunities.
She said equipping young Nigerians with digital skills would help improve their employability and enable them to adapt to changing labour market demands.
One of the beneficiaries, Idowu Olalere, a 400-level student of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for providing an opportunity to acquire emerging digital skills.
Olalere said the training would help bridge the gap between existing competencies and the changing requirements of the labour market.
Two other beneficiaries, Iyabo Ajayi, a makeup trainee, and Fatunbi Joshua, a fashion designing trainee, also commended the government for the initiative.
They expressed optimism that the training would help reduce unemployment by equipping participants with practical skills and creating opportunities for self-employment.
At the end of the programme, participants are expected to receive laptops, sewing machines and fully equipped makeup kits to enable them to establish businesses and pursue entrepreneurial ventures.
The initiative is part of the Federal Government’s broader efforts to promote inclusive economic growth, expand access to vocational education and create sustainable livelihood opportunities for young Nigerians.
