The Federal Government has urged state governments to partner with it in rolling out the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS), a flagship initiative aimed at lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty over the next decade through economic growth and targeted social protection.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, Dr Abiola Arogundade, announced that the programme has begun its expansion with a training session in Oyo State. She called on state governments, traditional rulers, community leaders and the private sector to collaborate as the scheme spreads to more states.
Dr Arogundade described the NPRGS as a central pillar of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which frames Nigerian youths as the solution to the country’s challenges. The pilot cohort launched in Abuja on 30 June 2025, offering a 10‑day intensive training in cybersecurity, web development and a solar‑energy installation up‑scaling track.
She said the Abuja phase was a resounding success, with participants who arrived sceptical leaving with marketable skills, having built their first websites and learned digital security fundamentals. Graduates received laptops and certificates of completion, and the phase attracted over 7,000 applications, signalling strong public demand.
Building on that momentum, the programme is now expanding across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones. Each zone will host 200 trainees in 10‑day to two‑week sessions, bringing the initial nationwide total to 1,200 youths. Skills offered in each state will be chosen based on local market demand, relevance and trainee preferences.
For the South West zone, training in Oyo State will run from 28 September 2026 for a little over two weeks. Trainees will learn Graphics/Artificial Intelligence design, makeup and fashion designing. Each participant will receive a complete training kit, including laptops for Graphics/AI trainees, fully equipped makeup kits for makeup trainees, sewing machines and starter kits for fashion designers, and fermentation kits for yoghurt‑making trainees.
The core objectives of the NPRGS are to equip Nigerian youths with practical, marketable skills; reduce unemployment and underemployment; promote entrepreneurship and self‑reliance; and advance the national goal of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within ten years.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
