Abuja: The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) have strengthened collaboration to promote skills development and support industrial growth through a clearer division of responsibilities. The ITF Director-General, Dr. Afiz Ogun, announced this at a joint news conference organised by the ITF and NBTE on Thursday.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the conference was convened to explain the Federal Government’s resolution of the long-standing overlap in the mandates of both agencies and present a coordinated framework. Dr. Ogun highlighted that the government resolved years of overlapping responsibilities among agencies involved in skills development through a clear division of mandates to strengthen industrial training and workforce development. Previous ambiguities in agency mandates had weakened skills development, despite rising unemployment and increasing dependence on foreign skilled workers. He noted that Nigeria continues to import artisans, technicians, and skilled workers even with abundant human resources and educational institutions.
Dr. Ogun stated that President Bola Tinubu’s administration has prioritised skills development as a strategy for tackling unemployment, promoting practical knowledge, and driving economic growth across sectors. He added that only about seven percent of Nigeria’s workforce was engaged in white-collar employment, while approximately 93 percent operated within the informal sector. The National Council on Skills, chaired by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, has ended decades of uncertainty by clearly defining responsibilities for formal and informal skills development.
The agreement assigned formal skills training to the NBTE, while the ITF would oversee informal skills development, apprenticeships, and industry-based training programmes nationwide. The NBTE will regulate polytechnics, technical colleges, and other formal institutions, while the ITF will connect graduates with employers and strengthen workforce readiness. Dr. Ogun mentioned that the ITF would develop a national database for artisans and technicians to improve certification, regulation, and access to modern technologies and industry opportunities. This arrangement is aimed at aligning informal sector skills with the Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework and international standards, enhancing competitiveness and workforce mobility.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of NBTE, Prof. Idris Bugaje, described the conference as an opportunity to explain recent developments in the nation’s skills development sector. Prof. Bugaje stated that the NBTE was established to regulate technical education outside the university system and oversee the implementation of the Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework nationwide. Despite challenges arising from overlapping mandates and responsibilities shared with other government agencies, the board has carried out its statutory responsibilities for 49 years.
Prof. Bugaje noted that the National Council on Skills recently reviewed and ratified the harmonisation of the mandates of the NBTE and ITF, establishing a clear roadmap for both agencies to work together in achieving national skills development goals. The NBTE will focus on regulating technical and vocational education to ensure graduates possess competencies that meet industry requirements and labour market demands. He added that the board is collaborating with the ITF to expand industry-based practical training opportunities for students across technical and vocational institutions nationwide.
According to Prof. Bugaje, Nigeria’s reliance on foreign artisans for major construction projects highlights weaknesses in the country’s technical and vocational education system. He expressed confidence that the partnership would reposition technical education, improve skilled manpower development, and support Nigeria’s industrialisation and economic transformation agenda.