President Bola Tinubu has announced plans for Nigeria’s first-ever national industrial manpower development policy, aimed at bridging the skills gap between educational output and industry requirements.
Gatekeepers News reports that the President, represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, made the announcement at the opening of the National Industrial Manpower Summit (NIMS) 2025 in Abuja.
The summit, themed “Manpower Development: The Bridge Between Potential and Productivity,” brought together government officials, industry leaders, academia, and international partners to develop actionable recommendations for workforce development.
Tinubu emphasised the importance of human capital development, saying, “For a nation with a median age of about seventeen, Nigeria is an incredibly young country. This youthfulness is a gift, but it is also a responsibility. We must make our young people not just a demographic statistic but a central component of our policy-making process.”
The President stressed that an improvement in human capital, along with infrastructure and sound policy, was the bridge between development and setback in every nation. “We cannot afford to divest from our people because the world will not pause to wait for us,” he said.
Tinubu called for robust collaboration between the public and private sectors to prepare young Nigerians for the demands of today’s job market.
The President also highlighted the need for an industrial skills database, sector-specific manpower roadmaps, and an elevated status for vocational and industrial training.
“Welders, machinists, technicians, software engineers, and factory operators must be treated with the dignity, respect, and opportunity they deserve,” he said.
Other speakers at the summit echoed the President’s sentiments.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, said national manpower was a key ingredient for attracting and retaining domestic investment for industrialization.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Maigari Dingyadi, described the summit as a platform to forge a unified direction on skills development, certification, and industrial manpower planning.
