The Nigerian Government has intensified efforts to tackle poverty and youth unemployment through the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS).
The strategy targets more than five million Nigerians for economic empowerment through vocational training, entrepreneurship development and technology-driven opportunities.
The initiative, being implemented under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, is designed to equip beneficiaries with market-relevant skills, productive equipment and entrepreneurial support to facilitate sustainable livelihoods and reduce dependence on salaried employment.
The programme is being coordinated by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education (TVEE), Dr Abiola Arogundade.
The programme combines practical training with certification, start-up equipment and business development opportunities to enable participants to establish enterprises and improve their earning capacity.
The intervention forms part of the Nigerian Government’s broader poverty reduction strategy, which, according to the State House, seeks to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within 10 years, while the vocational empowerment component targets five million young Nigerians over a reported four-year period.
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Explaining the administration’s objective, Arogundade said the programme was structured to create opportunities for Nigerians to become economically productive through skills acquisition, entrepreneurship and emerging technologies.
“The objective is to lift more than five million Nigerians out of poverty.
“What we are doing, and what the President wants us to achieve is to move as many people out of poverty through skills acquisition, empowerment, entrepreneurship and technology-driven opportunities,” he.said.
The presidential aide explained that the initiative was deliberately structured to move beyond conventional training programmes by providing beneficiaries with practical tools and opportunities to translate acquired knowledge into sustainable sources of income.
Different Trainings
Under the intervention, participants receive training in areas including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, web development, graphic design, fashion designing, makeup artistry, solar energy installation and agriculture-related enterprises, with equipment provided according to their areas of specialisation.
The programme commenced in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, where more than 300 beneficiaries underwent training in cybersecurity, web development and solar installation, with participants receiving laptops, certificates and other resources to support their professional development.
Building on the Abuja phase, the Nigerian Government extended the initiative to Oyo State, where 700 beneficiaries were supported through vocational training and digital empowerment activities at a graduation ceremony held in Ibadan on October 9, 2026.
The Oyo intervention included 200 participants trained in artificial intelligence and graphic design, makeup artistry and fashion design, alongside 500 additional beneficiaries covered under the government’s digital empowerment component.
Participants received certificates and productive equipment, including laptops, sewing machines and makeup kits, intended to enable them to establish businesses, expand existing enterprises and access emerging economic opportunities.
Addressing beneficiaries at the graduation ceremony, Arogundade emphasised the importance of extending the knowledge and opportunities acquired through the programme to other members of their communities.
The presidential aide maintained that the initiative was conceived not merely to empower individual beneficiaries but to encourage community-wide economic participation through knowledge-sharing, entrepreneurship and the establishment of small businesses.
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Bagudu, commended the intervention, reaffirming the ministry’s commitment to programmes that advance national development priorities and improve the economic well-being of Nigerians.
“The NPRGS is a cornerstone of our national development agenda. By focusing on skills, we’re tackling poverty at the root and unlocking Nigeria’s human capital,” the minister stated.
Beneficiaries
Beneficiaries of the programme have also described the training as an opportunity to diversify their income sources, acquire practical expertise and improve their employment and entrepreneurship prospects.
One of the beneficiaries, Miss Balikis Soliu, a mathematics graduate of the University of Ilorin who participated in makeup artistry training, said the programme had strengthened her existing knowledge and created opportunities to pursue entrepreneurship alongside her teaching career.
Similarly, a Mathematics and Science teacher, Mr Akintunde Fabiyi, said the technology training had broadened his knowledge of artificial intelligence, graphic design and digital applications, particularly in developing professional designs and building brands.
Fabiyi commended the Nigerian Government for the opportunity, noting that although participants had acquired considerable knowledge within seven days, the 10-day training period was insufficient to cover every aspect of the syllabus, making continuous learning essential.
Another beneficiary, Mr Ogunyemi Aduragbemi, who participated in fashion design training, said the intervention had provided an opportunity to return to a profession he previously abandoned because of his inability to purchase the necessary equipment.
Aduragbemi explained that access to sewing equipment would enable him to combine fashion designing with his trading activities, diversify his income and improve his economic circumstances.
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, also commended the Nigerian Government and Arogundade for the initiative, describing the programme as a significant intervention in addressing poverty and unemployment.
Programme Extension
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Government has announced plans to extend the programme to Enugu and Kebbi states as part of efforts to broaden access to vocational and technology-based empowerment opportunities across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones.
In Enugu State, Governor Peter Mbah pledged support for the intervention ahead of its scheduled commencement on October 28, acknowledging its potential to expand economic opportunities, strengthen entrepreneurship and contribute to the state’s development.
The planned expansion will introduce training opportunities tailored to relevant economic activities, including fashion design, makeup artistry, solar installation, digital technology and agriculture-related enterprises.
Beyond vocational empowerment, the intervention has also incorporated digital inclusion initiatives for secondary school students, with more than 100 HP laptops provided to selected institutions alongside opportunities for training in robotics and artificial intelligence.
Among the beneficiary institutions are Government Secondary School, Tudun-Wada, Wuse Zone 4, and Government Science and Technical College, Garki, Abuja, where the initiative seeks to strengthen students’ exposure to emerging technologies and innovation.
The NPRGS intervention seeks to address some of these challenges through its combination of skills development, equipment provision, entrepreneurship support and evaluation mechanisms intended to improve beneficiaries’ prospects of economic independence.
Similarly, the attainment of the Nigerian Government’s five-million-person poverty reduction target will require sustained implementation, effective partnerships and mechanisms for monitoring beneficiaries’ economic progress beyond the initial training and equipment distribution stages.
