FG targets 5m Nigerians for poverty reduction through skills training

The federal government has announced plans to lift five million young Nigerians out of poverty through skills acquisition and empowerment programmes under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS).

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education (OSSAP-TVEE), Dr Abiola Arogundade, disclosed this on Monday in Ibadan at the commencement of the Oyo State phase of the programme.

Arogundade said the initiative was designed to equip young Nigerians with practical and market-relevant skills to improve their employability, economic independence and capacity to establish sustainable livelihoods.

The Oyo State phase, which runs from September 28 to October 9, is training 200 young Nigerians in graphics and artificial intelligence (AI), makeup artistry and fashion designing.

She said 30 participants were enrolled for Graphics/AI training, while 85 each were undergoing training in makeup artistry and fashion designing.

According to her, the programme, which began in the Federal Capital Territory, will be extended to other states and geopolitical zones across the country.

She said beneficiaries would not only receive training but would also be linked to organisations and business opportunities to support their transition into sustainable livelihoods.

“So with this programme, we are training 200 people. We will also be distributing 500 tablets during the grand finale of the programme as part of the Federal Government’s digital empowerment drive.

“We are directly empowering 700 people in this programme and there will be multiplier effect.”