President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will officially open a three-day national conference on Tuesday, aimed at addressing key challenges facing Nigeria, including poverty, unemployment, and the widening skills gap in the workforce.
The conference, organized by the All Progressives Congress (APC) think-tank and intellectual resource center, The Progressive Institute (TPI), will focus on vocational skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, and development challenges in Nigeria.
According to a statement from the Head of Media and Strategic Communications at TPI, Wale Abideen, the event will be held from Tuesday, December 17, to Thursday, December 19, 2024, at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the APC National Chairman and Chief Host of the conference, stated that the initiative is a key intervention by the APC leadership to support the federal government’s efforts in tackling youth unemployment and bridging the gap between academic qualifications and the skills needed in the workplace.
“The TPI will bring together experts and practitioners to conduct empirical and clinical evaluations of the current challenges and propose innovative solutions, which will then be submitted to the federal government for consideration and implementation,” Ganduje explained.
Dr. Lanre Adebayo, Director General of TPI, emphasized that the conference is a policy-driven platform designed to focus on the advanced skills sectors, such as Advanced Construction Technologies, Digital Technologies, Mining, Maritime, Advanced Welding Certifications, Sustainable Development, Climate Change Agriculture, and Agropreneurship, among others. He noted that the conference will feature comparative and historical analyses of how countries like Singapore, the Philippines, and Malaysia leveraged vocational skills to build strong economies.
The event will include position papers from both foreign and Nigerian-based groups. Some international partners, including organizations from the UK and China, have expressed interest in raising funds for the establishment of proposed Zonal Skills Acquisition Centers in Nigeria.
Adebayo further explained that while advanced vocational skills will be a primary focus, the conference will also address middle-level and low-level skills, with particular emphasis on how these skills can be tailored to meet the specific needs of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. He added that the conference will also review Nigeria’s current educational curriculum, with a focus on integrating more vocational training to better prepare the workforce for the challenges of the modern economy.
Additionally, the conference will explore how to better utilize the cooperative model to organize small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) into strong, sustainable economic units that can create lasting wealth.
To enhance the breadth of discussions, several key organizations, including the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), the Nigerian Chamber of Commerce, the Bank of Industry, and various federal ministries such as the Ministries of Science and Technology, Youth Development, and Women Affairs, have been invited to contribute to the conference.
This highly anticipated event is expected to generate valuable insights and actionable recommendations that could shape Nigeria’s approach to skills development, entrepreneurship, and economic growth in the years to come.
