Education will drive Tinubu’s $1tn economy goal, says Alausa

The Federal Government has said ongoing reforms in the education sector are aimed at producing a globally competitive workforce that will drive President Bola Tinubu’s ambition of expanding Nigeria’s economy to $1 trillion by 2030.

Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, disclosed this on Saturday, saying the administration is repositioning tertiary education to meet the country’s manpower needs while preparing Nigerians to compete in the global labour market.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Alausa said the government’s strategy is centred on investing in human capital as a catalyst for economic transformation.

“We want to be the manpower supplier of the world,” the minister said, adding that the administration intends to turn Nigeria’s youthful population into an economic advantage.

As part of the reforms, Alausa said the Ministry of Education has significantly expanded admissions into health-related professional programmes to tackle longstanding shortages of skilled personnel.

According to him, annual nursing admissions have risen from about 20,000 at the inception of the Tinubu administration to 50,000, while enrolment capacity for medicine, pharmacy and dentistry has also been increased.

He said the expansion would substantially reduce the shortage of healthcare professionals as more graduates join the workforce in the coming years.

The minister also attributed the restoration of industrial peace in tertiary institutions to the administration’s engagement with academic and non-academic unions through dialogue and mutual trust.