{"id":275,"date":"2025-04-24T10:01:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T10:01:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/46.137.26.149\/?p=275"},"modified":"2025-04-24T10:01:16","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T10:01:16","slug":"nigeria-youth-skills-acquisition-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sparkmedia.africa\/?p=275","title":{"rendered":"FG Launches \u20a6120 Billion Youth Skills Program to Train 60,000 in Three Months"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Abuja, Nigeria<\/em> \u2013 The Federal Government has announced the rollout of a *\u20a6120 billion nationwide youth skills acquisition programme, targeting the training of at least *60,000 young Nigerians within three months<\/em> through qualified private sector firms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative, which aims to tackle rising youth unemployment, was unveiled on Tuesday during the Adolescent and Youth Ministerial Dialogue on Wellbeing, Health, and Development<\/em> held in Abuja.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the *Minister of State for Education, **Professor Suwaiba Ahmad, who was represented by **Prof. Ali Idris, Senior Special Assistant to the Minister, the programme will fund *registered companies<\/em> that can deliver large-scale training, especially to vulnerable groups<\/em> including Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)<\/em>, across Nigeria\u2019s six geopolitical zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cIf you have a registered company capable of training at least 60,000 people within three months, the ministry will pay that company,\u201d Ahmad stated. \u201cLikewise, individuals who undergo training will receive a starter pack upon completion.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Addressing Economic and Employment Gaps<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Prof. Ahmad noted that with many companies exiting Nigeria and limited government job opportunities, vocational and technical skills acquisition<\/em> offers the most viable path for young people seeking sustainable employment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe must equip our youths with skills that make them employable both locally and internationally,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Youth Advocacy at the Forefront<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

*Jonathan Abakpa, Programme Officer at Plan International Nigeria, emphasized the growing impact of *youth-led advocacy<\/em> in shaping national policy. He praised the inter-ministerial dialogue for giving young people a platform to engage directly with government officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThis platform allows youth to demand the implementation of their priorities, especially around education, health, and development,\u201d Abakpa said.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

He acknowledged increased budgetary allocations for youth-related sectors but warned that *early marriage, **teenage pregnancy, and the *high number of out-of-school children<\/em> still require urgent government attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Complementary Government Programmes<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The \u20a6120 billion skills initiative builds on several other federal youth empowerment programmes<\/em>, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • The Digital Bridge Institute\u2019s<\/em> partnership with U.S.-based SBTS Group LLC<\/em>, providing digital skills training for global employability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL)<\/em> initiative, led by NITDA<\/em> in collaboration with the *NYSC, with a goal to train *30 million Nigerians<\/em> in digital skills.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The *DeepTech Ready Upskilling Programme, aimed at delivering *advanced training in data science and artificial intelligence (AI)<\/em> to 20,000 young Nigerians<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    These initiatives reflect a broader government strategy to close the digital divide<\/em> and prepare Nigerian youths for evolving global workforce demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    A Pathway to Youth Empowerment<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    With the launch of the \u20a6120 billion youth skills fund, the Federal Government is taking bold steps toward *reducing unemployment, **enhancing self-reliance, and *boosting productivity<\/em> among Nigerian youths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As the program unfolds, its success will likely depend on effective implementation, public-private collaboration, and sustained support for young people transitioning from training into the workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Abuja, Nigeria \u2013 The Federal Government has announced the rollout of a *\u20a6120 billion nationwide youth skills acquisition programme, targeting the training of at least *60,000 young Nigerians within three months through qualified private sector firms. The initiative, which aims to tackle rising youth unemployment, was unveiled on Tuesday during the Adolescent and Youth Ministerial […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[122],"tags":[251,250,249,246,248,247],"class_list":["post-275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-digital-skills","tag-economic-development","tag-federal-government","tag-nigeria","tag-skills-acquisition","tag-youth-empowerment"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t