Stakeholders at the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Summit in Lagos have called for urgent reforms to tackle Nigeria’s widening skills gap. They cited a mismatch between available skills and industry demand as the country targets a $1 trillion economy.
Structural Challenges in Nigeria's Labour Market
Nigeria’s labour market continues to reflect deep structural challenges, with a large proportion of workers engaged in informal and vulnerable employment. Many young people struggle to transition from education into meaningful work. Stakeholders at the summit said the disconnect between training systems and labour market demand has been persistent, limiting productivity and economic growth.
Call for Systemic Shift
The association’s Deputy President, Dr Michael Olawale-Cole, who represented NACCIMA President Jani Ibrahim, described Nigeria’s skills gap as a structural economic challenge. He noted that despite the country’s large and growing youth population, a mismatch persists between available skills and industry demand. A significant proportion of the workforce remains in informal and vulnerable employment, often lacking productivity, stability, and growth potential.
Olawale-Cole stressed that current education and training systems have not sufficiently aligned with the needs of the real economy, resulting in graduates who lack the practical and technical competencies required in today’s workforce. According to him, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) remains one of the most effective tools for addressing youth underemployment, improving livelihoods, and enhancing national productivity, but must be repositioned to deliver impact.
“What we need is not incremental change, but a very systemic shift… one that positions TVET not as an alternative pathway, but as a mainstream driver of economic transformation,” he said.
