FG Laments Skills Gap Among Nigerian Youth
Nigeria's Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad, has expressed deep concern over the significant skills gap afflicting the country's youth population. She revealed that even basic tasks such as tiling are frequently outsourced to foreign workers from neighbouring African countries.
Speaking on Friday, May 29, during the Channels Television Youth Forum, Ahmad highlighted that despite high unemployment rates among young Nigerians, the nation lacks experienced hands in several practical and technical trades. “As I mentioned earlier, we did a skill gap analysis, and we realised that there are a lot of skills that we don’t have experienced hands in,” she stated.
The minister pointed to the growing solar energy sector as a prime example of missed opportunities. Many positions in this field remain unfilled due to a shortage of trained workers. “Skills that generate a lot of money, for instance, this issue of solar light. There are a lot of openings and opportunities for youths there, but then we don’t have experienced hands there,” Ahmad explained.
She lamented that while Nigerian youths roam the streets without income, foreign workers are brought in for simple tiling jobs. “For simple tiling, we employ people from outside the country, our neighbouring African countries, to come and tile our houses, but we have our youths running around with no money,” she said. “These kinds of jobs, you discover that at the end of the month they make a lot of money, much more than a graduate.”
Ahmad disclosed that the Federal Government is tackling this issue through its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes. So far, 25 different skill areas have been identified, with both six-month and one-year training programmes running nationwide. “In the first cohort, we have more than 100,000 students that have already started this,” she noted. “In fact, some of the students, the youth that have started, have even graduated, and we are giving them a starter pack at the end of it.”
Her remarks were echoed by Ayodele Olawande, who also appeared on the programme. Olawande emphasised that academic qualifications alone are insufficient in today's economy. “One of the things I have always emphasised is skill development. Certificates alone may not be what is needed,” he said. “You would discover that a lot of people going to school today are just going to school to become graduates. The skill gap should be addressed at the root of the matter.”
