The Federal Government has set a target of helping five million Nigerians move out of poverty through skills acquisition, entrepreneurship and empowerment programmes.

Senior Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, Dr Abiola Arogundade, disclosed this in Ibadan, Oyo State, during the commencement of the latest phase of the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy programme.

Arogundade said the initiative was designed to provide Nigerians with practical, market-relevant skills while connecting beneficiaries with opportunities capable of supporting sustainable livelihoods.

The programme is being implemented through the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education and forms part of the Federal Government’s broader poverty-reduction strategy.

According to the State House, the wider NPRGS has a long-term goal of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within 10 years, while the skills and entrepreneurship component coordinated by Arogundade has a specific target of five million beneficiaries moving out of poverty by 2030.

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

Thirty participants are receiving training in graphics and AI, while 85 each are being trained in makeup artistry and fashion designing.

Arogundade said the programme would go beyond classroom training by linking beneficiaries with organisations and business opportunities that could help them turn their skills into sustainable sources of income.

The Oyo intervention also includes a digital empowerment component, with 500 tablets scheduled to be distributed at the programme’s grand finale. This would bring the direct beneficiaries of the training and digital empowerment components to 700.
The Federal Government has said similar interventions will be taken to other states and geopolitical zones, with training areas selected according to local economic opportunities, market demand and the needs of beneficiaries.

Earlier phases of the programme included training in areas such as cybersecurity, web development and solar energy installation. The government has also provided starter equipment, including laptops, sewing machines, makeup kits and other tools, to help trainees apply their skills after completing the programme.

Arogundade said the government’s approach was intended to create a multiplier effect, with beneficiaries expected to use their new skills not only for their own economic advancement but also to support others within their communities.

The programme is therefore being positioned as part of the Federal Government’s wider effort to tackle unemployment, underemployment and poverty through technical, vocational and entrepreneurship education.

The five-million target remains a government programme objective, with its eventual impact dependent on the implementation and sustainability of the training, empowerment and livelihood opportunities provided to beneficiaries.