The Federal Government of Nigeria and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) have agreed to strengthen collaboration in revolutionising technical education and building a skilled labour market that would drive economic growth, innovation, and prosperity.

The pledge was made at Enugu at the end of a two-day Interregional technical and vocational education and training (TVET) forum for the South East and South South under the Skills Development for Youth Employment (SKYE II) programme.

SKYE II is being implemented by the GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, with co-funding from the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation.

Programme Component Manager for TVET, GIZ-SKYE, Rachel Schipper, stated that through the programme, GIZ would continue to contribute to Nigeria’s sustainable development priorities “by promoting employment creation, strengthening the quality of the TVET system, fostering gender equality, and advancing inclusive and decent work opportunities.”

She added: “As we face increasing demands for a skilled, adaptable workforce, it has become clear that no single institution can achieve this alone.”

Schipper further noted that partnerships between states, boards, training institutions, and the private sector were essential to ensure that skills development programmes remain responsive to labour market needs and youth employment priorities.

“To achieve this, we must promote national awareness, drive knowledge-sharing platforms, and work towards the development of green skills curricula and a coordinated National Green Skills Strategy,” she said.

The Technical Assistant to the Federal Ministry of Education on TVET, Nabilla Mohammed, on her part, stated that the Nigerian government remains committed to building the vocational and technical skills of youths as a way of dealing with the massive unemployment.

“The government has set aside 5 per cent of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) to fund TVET activities,” she said.

“Currently, we have over 437 approved skills acquisition centres across Nigeria,” she disclosed.