The Federal Government has launched a bold new national skills programme designed to empower 20 million young Nigerians with training, jobs, and entrepreneurship opportunities by 2030. Fed Govt Skills Drive initiative, which places women at the center with a minimum 60% participation target, was unveiled on International Youth Day 2025.
Fed Govt Skills Drive: A Lifeline for Young Nigerians
Vice President Kashim Shettima announced the plan while chairing the reactivated Board of Generation Unlimited (GenU) Nigeria. Speaking at its inaugural meeting, he highlighted Nigeria’s massive youth population as a unique strength in today’s ageing world.
“With over 60 per cent of our population below the age of 25, we cannot afford to squander this asset,” Shettima said. “An advantage unrealised is merely potential wasted. We must refine it, invest in it, and channel it towards productive destinies.”
The Vice President described Nigerian youth as the country’s “superpower,” but warned that the current national skills ecosystem is plagued by a “trilemma” of exclusion, weak links to livelihoods, and poor infrastructure for large-scale training.
Digital Access and Livelihoods Initiative (DALI) at the Core
At the heart of the Fed Govt’s skills drive is the Digital Access and Livelihoods Initiative (DALI), which directly connects training to guaranteed jobs or entrepreneurship pathways. All training will align with the National Skills Qualification Framework, ensuring participants earn globally recognized credentials.
“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,” Shettima declared, urging collaboration across government, private sector, and development partners.
Government, Partners, and the Private Sector Driving Change
Minister of Youth Development, Comrade Ayodele Olawande, stressed that the Fed Govt’s skills drive is about closing the skills gap and creating meaningful jobs. “Nigerian youths are not limited. We have the talent, creativity, and courage to thrive. What we need is a meaningful and enabling environment,” he said.
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Special Assistant on Strategy and Policy (Workforce Development), Rimamskeb Nuhu, explained that DALI would also tackle foundational learning gaps and set up Renewed Hope digital hubs nationwide.
Since 2021, GenU 9JA has already reached more than 10 million young Nigerians through projects such as Microsoft’s Passport to Earning, the FUCAP Campus Ambassadors Programme, Green Rising, and the Girls’ Education and Skills Partnership with the UK’s FCDO.
Global and Local Partners Rally Behind the Skills Drive
Development partners and private sector players are backing the initiative. Companies like Microsoft, Airtel, MTN, CISCO, IHS Towers, Unilever, and Jobberman are partnering with UNICEF and the Nigerian government to scale opportunities in digital education, entrepreneurship, and green jobs.
UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, called young people “the most critical assets of the country and the continent,” while UNICEF Nigeria’s Country Representative, Wafaa Saeed, praised the recognition of the Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA) as a national platform for youth opportunities.
Kevin Frey, Global CEO of UNICEF Generation Unlimited, applauded Nigeria’s leadership, saying the country’s vision and partnerships are “charting a new course for youth ecosystems at scale.”
