The Minister of Youth Development, Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim, has expressed worry over Nigeria’s current youth unemployment rate which stands at approximately 42.5 percent.
The Minister who made this observation while receiving stakeholders from various organisations during a youth skills stakeholder consultative dialogue held in her office in Abuja.
Ibrahim noted that the staggering figure underscores the urgent need for adequate skills development and employment programmes.
According to her, the federal government is committed to equipping Nigerian youth with the relevant skills to succeed and contribute meaningfully to national development, noting that the ministry is taking the lead in tackling youth unemployment and bridging the skills gap through groundbreaking flagship initiatives.
She stated: “Nigeria’s youth unemployment rate currently stands at approximately 42.5 percent, a staggering figure that underscores the urgent need for adequate skills development and employment programmes.
“This is not a problem we can afford to ignore. The urgency should spur us into immediate and comprehensive action to address this pressing issue.
“As many of you are aware, Nigeria is home to a democracy that represents more than 60 percent of our population. This is not just a statistic, but a powerful potential that if properly harnessed, can transform our economy and elevate our standing on the global stage.
“Despite the significant challenges we face, we must focus on this potential to realize a brighter future for our nation.”
She explained that with the restructured Nigerian Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), the Presidential Initiative on Youth Cluster (PIYEC), and the National Youth Skills Program, the government is directly addressing the challenges young Nigerians are facing, equipping them with the skills, resources, and opportunities needed to excel in a rapidly evolving global economy and drive sustainable national progress.
She disclosed that these programmes provide accessible finance, training, mentorship, and enterprise development opportunities across vital economic sectors, paving the way for financial empowerment.
According to the minister, the National Youth Skills Program equips Nigerian youth with cutting-edge, globally competitive skills, ensuring they are prepared to thrive in today’s interconnected marketplace.
“We aim to foster stronger interagency collaboration and reinforce partnership among government bodies, donors, and the private sector by aligning our roles and responsibilities, leverage our strengths, and pool resources to create a unified and impactful approach to youth skills development,” the Minister said.
Earlier in his address, the Permanent Secretary, the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, Mr. Olubunmi Olusanya informed stakeholders that the NYSP is an initiative of the ministry to address the critical skills gap among Nigerian youth.
Olusanya maintained that the program will also equip them to meet the demands of both national and global labour markets which is designed to strategically align with Nigeria’s broader development goals, particularly the eight-point agenda of President Bola Tinubu to reduce unemployment and underemployment to foster economic growth through entrepreneurship.
In his closing remarks, the Director of Enterprise Development and Promotion of the Ministry Prince Olugbenga Momoh thanked the stakeholders for attending the meeting, despite the short notice. This, he said, is an indication that the future of Nigerian youth is bright.
He also highlighted some of the skills areas in which the Ministry has consistently built the capacity of unemployed youth to include: vocational skills, business development training (entrepreneurship) programmes, and other areas like borehole drilling & plumbing services, electrical, carpentry & interior decoration, tilling, volcanizing, mechanic, creative industry.
