1,200 Youths to Receive Skills Training, Startup Equipment Under NPRGS
The Federal Government has expanded its National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS) skills acquisition and entrepreneurship programme to Oyo, Enugu and Kebbi states, targeting 1,200 young Nigerians in its initial nationwide rollout.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, Dr Abiola Arogundade, announced the expansion on Monday.
She said the programme, implemented by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education (OSSAP-TVEE), was being extended across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones following the success of its pilot phase in Abuja.
The initiative is part of the Federal Government’s broader plan to reduce poverty, unemployment and underemployment while equipping young Nigerians with practical skills and promoting entrepreneurship and self-reliance.
The Abuja pilot, which began on June 30, 2025, trained participants in cybersecurity, web development and solar energy installation. It attracted more than 7,000 applications, according to the Presidency.
Under the nationwide rollout, each geopolitical zone will host 200 trainees, with training lasting between 10 days and two weeks. The skills offered in each state will be determined by local market demand and the preferences of participants.
In Oyo State, representing the South-West, training is scheduled to begin on September 28, 2026, and run from 9am to 5pm daily for two weeks. Beneficiaries will receive training in graphics and artificial intelligence design, makeup and fashion designing.
Enugu State, representing the South-East, will offer training in makeup, solar energy installation and fashion designing, while Kebbi State, representing the North-West, will train participants in graphics and AI design, fashion design and agriculture, including yoghurt production.
The Federal Government said participants would receive training equipment they could take home after completing the programme. Graphics and AI trainees will receive laptops, makeup trainees will get makeup kits, fashion trainees will receive sewing machines and starter kits, while agriculture and yoghurt-making trainees will receive fermentation kits.
Arogundade said the intervention was designed to go beyond skills training by providing beneficiaries with the tools needed to immediately turn their skills into productive ventures.
She also urged state governments, traditional rulers, community leaders and the private sector to support the programme as the Federal Government expands it to more parts of the country.