Stakeholders at the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Summit have called for urgent reforms to address Nigeria’s widening skills gap, warning that the mismatch between workforce capabilities and industry needs could hinder the country’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy.
Participants at the summit highlighted persistent structural challenges in Nigeria’s labour market, noting that a large proportion of the workforce remains in informal and insecure employment, while many young people struggle to transition from education into stable jobs. They stressed that the disconnect between training programmes and labour market demands continues to limit productivity and economic growth.
Speaking at the event, NACCIMA Deputy President, Michael Olawale-Cole, representing the association’s President, Jani Ibrahim, described the skills gap as a fundamental economic challenge. He noted that despite Nigeria’s growing youth population, there remains a persistent mismatch between available skills and those required by industry.
He added that many workers are trapped in low-productivity roles with limited opportunities for advancement, while graduates often lack the practical and technical competencies needed for today’s workforce.
Olawale-Cole emphasised that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) remains one of the most effective tools for addressing youth underemployment and improving productivity but noted that the system requires significant reorientation to deliver meaningful impact.
He called for stronger private sector leadership in setting occupational standards, developing curricula, and supporting apprenticeship programmes, while urging the government to ensure policy consistency and sustainable funding.
The summit also highlighted shortages in critical trades such as construction, where employers frequently struggle to find skilled workers locally, sometimes turning to neighbouring countries to fill gaps.
Chair of the NACCIMA Education Committee, Abdul Rasheed Na’Allah, said the challenge extends beyond policy formulation to issues of implementation, coordination, and scale. He noted that while frameworks such as the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) and reforms by agencies like the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) provide a foundation, they have yet to produce job-ready skills at scale.
Na’Allah called for a shift from fragmented interventions to a demand-driven system where training aligns with labour market needs, qualifications reflect real competencies, and graduates possess practical, employable skills.
He stressed that NACCIMA and the organised private sector must play a central role in coordinating employer input, including participation in curriculum design, apprenticeship training, and certification validation.
Also speaking, Adesoji Adesugba said Nigeria’s skills challenge reflects a broader failure of system alignment, noting that education institutions, training systems, and employers are not effectively connected. He argued that without stronger coordination and industry-led input, efforts to reform skills development would remain limited.
On behalf of development partners, Britta Van Erckelens of the Skill Development for Youth Employment (SKYE) programme emphasised that effective TVET systems depend on close collaboration between government and the private sector. She noted that industry involvement is essential for identifying skills needs, improving productivity, and ensuring alignment with business demands.
Director of the Business, Entrepreneurship, Skills and Technology Centre at the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Tinuke Temitope, said the summit was designed to bring together private sector players and regulators to address key challenges, including curriculum development, certification, industrial activation, and job placement.
She emphasised that the focus is on practical solutions, with the private sector playing a critical role in supporting and driving effective implementation.
Stakeholders warned that with Nigeria’s rapidly growing population and millions of young people entering the labour market each year, failure to address the skills gap could worsen unemployment and limit economic potential.
While the summit produced strong calls for reform and collaboration, participants acknowledged that the key challenge remains translating policy discussions into concrete actions that deliver measurable results.
