The Nigerian government has launched a new program called the National Youth Skills Program (NYSP) to combat youth unemployment and provide young people with valuable skills.
The Minister of Youth Development, Jamila Ibrahim, announced the program at an event in Abuja weeks back. Ibrahim stated that the NYSP aims to reduce youth unemployment by 20% within five years and increase youth-led businesses by 50%.
“Through regular assessment, feedback loops and data analysis, we will adjust our strategies as needed to ensure that we stay on track and that no one is left behind” she stated. “With the right skills and training, our youth cannot only find employment but also become the driving force behind these sectors, creating a ripple effect of job opportunities.’’
According to her, beyond technical skills, the government is committed to empowering the youths with financial tools to succeed.
“It is not enough to be skilled; we must ensure these young men and women have access to the capital they need to start their business. “Through the Nigerian Youth Investment Fund, we have already allocated 110 billion naira for the 2024 fiscal year to support youth-led businesses.
According to her, this initiative will be expanded with the upcoming National Youth Development Bank, providing more youth with the grants, loans and mentorship they need to turn their ideas into thriving enterprise.
The minister said that women and persons with disabilities were often left out of the economic conversation. That is why they are committed to ensuring that 50 per cent of programme participants will be female and have designed specific pathways for young women to thrive in sectors like technology, healthcare and entrepreneurship.
Ms Ibrahim said that the framework would also allow them to track key performance indicators such as the number of jobs created, the success rate of youth-led businesses and the overall contribution to national economic growth.
She revealed that the federal government has also partnered with local and international organisations to ensure that persons with disabilities have full access to all training programmes, with necessary accommodation as well to be provided.
Measure of Impact
The minister continued in her statement, “We will also measure long-term impacts such as income growth and poverty reduction.’’
According to Ms Ibrahim, NYSP is designed to target 11 key sectors crucial to Nigeria’s development – agriculture, renewable energy, digital economy and manufacturing, healthcare services, creative arts, sustainable mobility, circular economy, teaching skills, mining and gemstone processing, and blue economy.
Also, the Senior Special Adviser to the Minister, Aminu Abdullahi, reiterated the programme’s alignment with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Mr Abdullahi said the programme aimed to equip more than five million youths with employable skills and foster entrepreneurship and innovation. According to him, the NYSP will implement a robust monitoring and evaluation framework to track progress and measure impact. He said that the framework would assess key performance indicators such as job creation, business success rates, economic contributions and annual evaluations.
Mr Abdullahi said that such would ensure transparency and continuous improvement, learning from past experiences to better support the youth. He called on private sector partners, government agencies, and international organisations to collaborate to ensure the NYSP’s success.
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