FG Links Skills Drive To Five-Million Poverty Exit Target

Amarachi Ihesiulo

September 29, 2026
3 min read
Dr Abiola Arogundade

The Federal Government has expanded its poverty-reduction strategy with a nationwide skills and empowerment programme aimed at helping five million Nigerians develop income-generating capabilities over the coming years.

The intervention, being implemented under the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy, combines technical and vocational training with entrepreneurship, digital skills and efforts to connect beneficiaries with opportunities in the wider economy.

Dr Abiola Arogundade, Senior Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, disclosed the target during the commencement of the programme’s latest phase in Oyo State.

The Oyo training, which began in Ibadan on September 28, is scheduled to run until October 9 and involves 200 young Nigerians receiving training in areas including graphics and artificial intelligence, makeup artistry and fashion design.

Arogundade said the programme was designed to go beyond classroom instruction by helping participants develop skills that could translate into employment, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods.

According to her, the Federal Government intends to take the intervention beyond the immediate beneficiaries by encouraging participants to transfer knowledge within their communities.

The Oyo phase is part of a broader rollout that began in the Federal Capital Territory before moving to other parts of the country.

The programme is also incorporating digital empowerment. Five hundred tablets are expected to be distributed during the Oyo programme’s grand finale, adding a technology component to the vocational training.

Officials involved in the programme say the combination of practical skills and digital tools is intended to improve participants’ ability to access markets and develop independent sources of income.

The training categories in Oyo reflect the government’s attempt to combine conventional vocational opportunities with emerging areas of the digital economy. Thirty participants are undertaking graphics and artificial intelligence training, while 85 participants each are receiving training in makeup artistry and fashion design.

The Federal Government’s five-million target places emphasis on the scale of the intervention, with the programme expected to reach beneficiaries across different states and geopolitical zones.

Arogundade said participants should regard the training as a starting point rather than a one-off government benefit, urging them to continue improving their skills after the programme.

The initiative comes against the backdrop of persistent concerns over unemployment, limited income opportunities and the difficulty many young Nigerians face in moving from training into sustainable economic activity.

The government’s approach therefore places emphasis not only on acquiring skills but also on connecting trained participants with organisations, businesses and other opportunities that could help them turn their abilities into income.

The Oyo programme is expected to serve as another stage in the Federal Government’s wider poverty-reduction effort as the administration seeks to expand access to technical, vocational and entrepreneurship education.

For beneficiaries, the immediate challenge will be translating the training into productive activity, while for policymakers, the broader measure of the programme will be whether skills development can lead to sustained earnings and reduce dependence on short-term interventions.

The five-million target is expected to require continued implementation across states and sustained support for beneficiaries beyond the training sessions.