The federal government has expanded the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy to Oyo, Enugu and Kebbi states as part of efforts to equip Nigerian youths with practical skills and create opportunities for entrepreneurship.
The programme, being implemented by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, is a flagship federal government initiative aimed at lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within 10 years through economic growth and targeted social protection.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, Dr Abiola Arogundade, said the programme was a central pillar of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
According to her, the administration views Nigerian youths not as the problem facing the country but as the solution to its challenges.
The NPRGS began with a pilot programme in Abuja on June 30, 2025, where participants underwent an intensive 10-day training in cybersecurity and web development, alongside a solar energy installation upscaling track.
Arogundade described the Abuja pilot as a success, noting that participants who initially approached the programme with scepticism left with practical and marketable skills.
She said the trainees built their first websites, learned the fundamentals of digital security and received laptops and certificates upon completion.
The Abuja phase attracted more than 7,000 applications, which the SSA said demonstrated strong public interest in the programme.
Following the pilot, the federal government is now expanding the initiative across the country’s six geopolitical zones, with each zone hosting 200 trainees in 10-day to two-week training sessions.
The training areas are selected based on local market demand, relevance and the preferences of participants, with 1,200 youths expected to benefit from the initial nationwide phase.
In Oyo State, which represents the South-West zone, training is scheduled to begin on September 28, 2026, and will run daily from 9am to 5pm for two weeks.
Participants in the state will receive training in graphics and artificial intelligence design, makeup and fashion designing.
In Enugu State, one of the designated training hubs for the South-East zone, participants will be trained in makeup, solar energy installation and fashion designing.
The solar energy training will cover areas including panel installation, maintenance and off-grid solutions.
In Kebbi State, the North-West training hub will offer courses in graphics and artificial intelligence design, fashion design and agriculture, with a focus on yoghurt making.
The agriculture training will cover dairy processing, packaging and small-scale agribusiness.
The federal government said participants would receive complete training kits which they would take home after completing the programme.
The kits include laptops for graphics and AI trainees, fully equipped makeup kits, sewing machines and starter kits for fashion trainees, as well as fermentation kits for participants undergoing yoghurt-making training.
The programme is designed to equip young Nigerians with practical and marketable skills, reduce unemployment and underemployment, promote entrepreneurship and self-reliance, and contribute to the national target of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within 10 years.
Arogundade called on state governments, traditional rulers, community leaders and private-sector organisations to partner with the federal government as the programme expands to more states across the country
