By Progress Godfrey, Abuja

The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to continue working with the private sector to promote industrialisation and inclusive growth through skills and vocational training for Nigeria’s youths.

Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Owan, made this known during the ITF-NECA Stakeholders’ Dialogue Forum and the 2023/2024 Outstanding Trainees’ Awards Ceremony in Abuja.

Owan commended the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) for its collaboration with the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, which has provided skills acquisition and vocational training for Nigerian youths over the past sixteen years.

He said President Bola Tinubu’s administration is dedicated to empowering young people so they can contribute meaningfully to national economic development.

The Minister added that the government has introduced various reforms and interventions to encourage the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises, support job creation, and promote youth and economic development across the country.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Finance, Dr Doriz Uzoka-Anite, described ITF’s Skilled Up Artisans programme as one of the administration’s most commendable youth empowerment initiatives.

She assured that her ministry would continue to support programmes aimed at keeping Nigerian youths off the streets through skills acquisition and vocational training.

Uzoka-Anite further stressed the importance of public-private sector collaboration in reducing unemployment and equipping youths with the skills to become self-reliant, a move she said would help curb crime in society.

On his part, Director-General of the ITF, Dr Oluwatoyin Afiz-Ogun, said that over 60,000 youths have benefited from the Technical Skills Development Project in the last sixteen years through the ITF-NECA partnership.

Afiz-Ogun said the project demonstrates the power of government and private sector collaboration. She added that the partnership has produced creators, problem solvers, and nation builders who are actively reshaping Nigeria’s industrial and economic landscape.

“As our country advances on the path of industrialisation and inclusive growth, one truth remains constant: skills are the new currency of national development.

“The strength of our workforce – their competence, creativity and resilience will determine how effectively Nigeria competes and thrives in the global economy,” he added.

He noted that a skilled youth population drives investment and economic development, hence the need for the ITF-NECA TSDP programme.

Earlier, the Director-General of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, Mr Adewale Smart, said beneficiaries of the TSDP programme were trained in thirty-five trade areas, adding that the project has also made it possible for the upgrade of several federal educational institutions across the country.

Smart noted that the Stakeholders’ Dialogue Forum was being held simultaneously in nine centres across the nation.