The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture and other stakeholders in technical and vocational education have called for reforms to close what they describe as a growing shortage of skilled labour in the country. They warn that the gap could derail the country’s ambition of achieving a $1tn economy by 2030.
These stakeholders, speaking at a Technical and Vocational Education and Training Stakeholders Summit themed ‘Building Industry-Ready Professionals for a $1tn Economy: Strengthening TVET through Public-Private Partnerships’, held on Tuesday in Lagos, warned that Nigeria’s economy has become increasingly reliant on foreign skilled workers.
The Deputy President of NACCIMA, Dr Michael Olawale-Cole, who represented the National President, Engr Jani Ibrahim, said the private sector must play a central role in bridging the skills deficit.
He said, “NACCIMA is very committed to supporting the government to achieve the $1tn US dollar target by 2030. Government will proclaim to announce the target, but the private sector will actually be the actualiser of the target because we are the people in business who will do the activities that will lead to achieving those targets.”
Olawale-Cole lamented the scarcity of artisans and technical workers across critical sectors, noting that builders now struggle to find competent hands locally.
He said, “We acknowledge the fact that there is a gap in the area of our skills. In certain areas that have small skills but are very important, like carpenters and others, they are not really available in our system. A lot of builders now have challenges in getting good people to build for them, to even do bricklaying, carpentry and tiling.”
He added, “They have to go as far as Ghana and other parts of West Africa to look for people to help. Those are the available gaps. For the government to achieve the one trillion US dollar target by 2030, we must have the available skills that will help to create that level of economy.”
He stressed that NACCIMA was collaborating with international and local partners to revive technical skills development and reduce reliance on foreign artisans.
Also speaking, the Deputy President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Prof. Adesoji Adesugba, identified a disconnect between training institutions and industry needs as a major driver of unemployment and skills shortages.
He said, “If you don’t understand what you need and you just produce anything, then by the time the graduates come out, you discover that you don’t need them because they have not been trained to do what the industry actually requires.”
Adesugba added, “The industrial sectors of Nigeria should determine the curriculum and the skills that they require. That way, it is easier for them to collaborate with training institutions to train Nigerian youth to be employable rather than training people without skills.”
He warned that failure to align education with labour market needs would continue to widen the gap between job seekers and employers.
He said, “By the time they graduate, they will be looking for employment, and they won’t get it, while employers will be looking for people to employ and won’t have them. There is a disconnect, and that is what we are saying we can address with TVET.”
On Nigeria’s rising population, Adesugba cautioned that the country risks turning its demographic growth into a burden if skills development is neglected.
He said, “Nigeria is growing at about 2.3 per cent, which amounts to about five million people every year. That will be a dividend if it is handled right, but if we don’t plan for them in terms of skills, then it becomes a disaster.”
In her remarks, the Director of Business, Entrepreneurship, Skills and Technology at the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Tinuke Temitope, emphasised that private sector participation is critical to the success of TVET reforms.
She said, “TVET cannot be successful without full involvement of the private sector. The purpose of this event is to bring private sector stakeholders together with regulatory bodies to start talking about solutions, not just the challenges.”
Temitope added that skills acquisition remains essential for long-term economic participation. She remarked, “We cannot do without skills. If you have a lot of certificates today, by the time you retire, there is nothing you can do, but your skills stay with you until the day you die.”
Also, the Director, South-West Region of the National Board for Technical Education, Dr John Onyebuchi, who represented the Executive Secretary, Prof. Idris Bugaje, called for competency-based training aligned with industry requirements.
He said, “The training has to be competency-based, not just conventional certification. It must align with the industry. Quality assurance and industrial relevance are two foundational pillars of effective TVET.”
Onyebuchi urged employers to actively participate in training students and provide internship opportunities for them.
He said, “Industry must be part of the production of TVET products, not just waiting to consume them. Employers should accept students for internships because learning requires practical exposure.”
Stakeholders at the summit agreed that stronger public-private partnerships, curriculum reforms, and increased investment in technical education are essential to closing Nigeria’s skills gap and unlocking sustainable economic growth.
