FG inaugurates programme to empower 20 million youths

The Federal Government has inaugurated a new national skills programme aimed at connecting 20 million young Nigerians to jobs, training, and entrepreneurship opportunities by 2030.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima made the announcement at the inaugural board meeting of Generation Unlimited Nigeria (GenU 9JA), held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

He revealed that at least 60 per cent of the programme’s beneficiaries were expected to be women.

Shettima, who serves as Chairman of the reactivated GenU Board, described Nigeria’s youthful population as the nation’s “superpower” and a unique advantage in a rapidly ageing world.

“With more than 60 percent of our population below the age of 25, we cannot afford to squander this asset.

“An advantage unrealised is merely potential wasted. We must refine it, invest in it, and channel it towards productive destinies,” he said.

The Vice-President warned that Nigeria’s national skills ecosystem faced a “trilemma”, too many young people were excluded from the start, training programmes were disconnected from real livelihoods, and infrastructure for hands-on learning was inadequate.

“Another isolated training scheme will not deliver us from these constraints. What we need is systemic change, a new architecture built to last.

“At the heart of the programme is the Digital Access and Livelihoods Initiative (DALI), a demand-driven national talent pipeline designed to link foundational and work-readiness training directly to guaranteed jobs or enterprise pathways.

“We need a platform to unify government, private sector leaders, development partners, and the boundless energy of our youth under a single banner.

“This is a proposition to attract coordinated investment and replace fragmented efforts with a common front,” Shettima said.

He pledged that all training under the initiative would align with the National Skills Qualification Framework, ensuring that Nigerian youth possess not just the skills to work, but the credentials to compete globally.

“Let this be the turning point.

“Let this be the day history remembers as the moment we stopped managing youth unemployment as an inevitable crisis and started unlocking the creative, entrepreneurial, and intellectual capital of our people.

“We owe young Nigerians jobs. We owe them hope. We owe them the future, not just promises, but proof that their country believes in them enough to invest in their success.”

Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande said the administration’s vision is clear: to create jobs, bridge the skills gap, and empower young people through meaningful human capital development.

COURTESY: thepointng