The North Central Development Commission (NCDC) and the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Zone C, are exploring a partnership to strengthen students’ employability and entrepreneurial capacity through the proposed establishment of skills acquisition and entrepreneurship development centres across the North Central region and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The initiative, which is expected to cover Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau states, as well as the FCT, seeks to bridge the gap between academic qualifications and practical workplace competencies by providing students with digital, vocational and technical training, business development support and mentorship opportunities.

The proposal was unveiled at the NANS Zone C Summit in Kwara State, where the NCDC reiterated its commitment to making youth empowerment a central component of its regional development agenda.

Speaking at the event, Comrade Solomon Adodo, NCDC Board Member representing the FCT, who represented the Commission’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Cyril Yiltsen Tsenyil, disclosed that provisions had been made in the Commission’s budget for entrepreneurship training and related interventions.

Adodo said the proposed centres would provide students with opportunities to translate their creative ideas and innovations into viable businesses capable of generating employment and contributing to economic growth.

He stressed that university and other tertiary institution students must look beyond academic qualifications and acquire practical skills that would enable them to become employers of labour rather than depend solely on conventional employment opportunities.

“It is time for us to reverse the old pattern and embrace a new order, to ensure that the innovations of students are not left to rot, but are given wings to fly and ascend from mere potential to productivity,” he said.

He explained that the establishment of regional development commissions by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was intended to address peculiar development challenges across the country through targeted interventions and stronger engagement with local stakeholders.

Adodo assured NANS that the Commission would maintain an open-door policy and sustain consultations with student representatives to ensure that their needs and aspirations were reflected in its programmes.

In his remarks, the NANS Zone C Coordinator, Comrade Abiola Azeez Babatunde Adigun, commended the youth-oriented initiatives of the Tinubu administration under the Renewed Hope Agenda, describing them as encouraging efforts towards economic inclusion and sustainable youth development.

Adigun expressed the association’s readiness to work with the NCDC to establish a structured framework for implementing the proposed entrepreneurship and skills development programme.

He said the partnership would prioritise relevant digital, vocational and technical skills, business development training and mentorship to prepare students for emerging employment and investment opportunities.

The NANS coordinator disclosed that the association would engage the Commission’s leadership to identify areas of collaboration, develop an implementation framework and establish modalities for extending the programme to students across the region.

The proposed partnership reflects growing calls for stronger collaboration between development institutions and student organisations in addressing youth unemployment, skills gaps and the disconnect between formal education and the demands of the economy.

If successfully implemented, the initiative could expand access to practical training, encourage student-led enterprises and strengthen the contribution of young people to economic development across the North Central region.