The Federal Government has launched a national skills development programme aimed at connecting 20 million young Nigerians to jobs, training, and entrepreneurship opportunities by 2030, with at least 60 per cent of the beneficiaries expected to be women.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima announced the initiative on Monday at the inaugural board meeting of Generation Unlimited Nigeria (GenU 9JA), held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Chairing the reactivated GenU Board, Shettima described Nigeria’s youthful population as the country’s “superpower” in an ageing global landscape.
“With more than 60 per cent of our population under the age of 25, we cannot afford to squander this asset,” he said. “An advantage unrealised is potential wasted. We must refine it, invest in it, and channel it towards productive destinies.”
He identified a “trilemma” facing Nigeria’s skills ecosystem: too many young people excluded from opportunities, training disconnected from real jobs, and inadequate infrastructure for practical learning.
At the heart of the programme is the Digital Access and Livelihoods Initiative (DALI) — a demand-driven national talent pipeline linking foundational and work-readiness training to guaranteed jobs or enterprise pathways. All training will align with the National Skills Qualification Framework, ensuring that Nigerian youth possess both the skills and credentials to compete globally.
UN agencies, private sector partners, and development organisations — including Microsoft, Airtel, MTN, and UNICEF — are collaborating on the initiative, which will expand access to digital education, green jobs, entrepreneurship, and civic engagement.
Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande emphasised the need for an enabling environment to harness youth creativity, while UNICEF’s Wafaa Saeed announced YOMA as Nigeria’s official youth opportunities aggregator.
Shettima declared: “Let this be the day history remembers as the turning point in tackling youth unemployment — not with promises, but with proof that Nigeria invests in its young people.”
