ITF Organises First National Skills Summit to Tackle Unemployment

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Thursday, March 12th, 2020

By Muyiwa Bamidele

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo has said that the Federal Government will continue to support organizations and agencies that will address to the problem of skills gap in Nigeria.

The Vice President stated this at the opening ceremony of the first National Skills Summit organised by the Industrial Training Funds in Abuja saying that the issues of insecurity and social media cannot be addressed without job creations.

Vice President who was Represented at the occasion by Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Otunba Richard Niyi Adebayo said the present administration of President Buhari has done a lot to turn around the fortune of the country through various empowerment programmes.

The Vice President explained that the first national Skills Summit is vital for the Federal and state governments because it would find solutions to the challenges of skills gap in the country.

“This summit is so vital because states across the federation will embrace the outcome of the delibration.

The chairperson of the occasion Minister of State for Industry Trade and Investment Hajia Aisha Abubakar said Nigerian youths need to develop skills in order to tackle the problems of unemployment.

Director General of the Industrial Training Funds Joseph Ari said the first National Skills Summit was meant to collectively deliberate and chart pathways and solutions to tackling the unemployment problem facing Nigeria.

Joseph Ari also explained that Skills Gap Survey has been conducted in Six Priority Sectors of the National Economy in liaison with the United Nations Development Organisation (UNIDO) as part of the measures the address the problem of the skills gap.

According to him the reports of the survey remains the most reliable document currently on the skills gaps in the economy.

“We also led sensitization efforts for the establishment of Sector Skills Councils as well as the need for a Labour Market Information culture in Nigeria.”