- Tinubu Unveils Plan for Nigeria’s First National Industrial Manpower Development Policy
- Calls for the creation of an industrial skills database
- Pledges urgent action on skills development, industry-academia synergy
President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday unveiled plans for Nigeria’s first-ever National Industrial Manpower Development Policy, stressing that the nation’s greatest asset is its people, not its natural resources.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the President emphasized the urgent need to close the gap between educational outcomes and industry demands to fully unlock Nigeria’s economic potential.
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Speaking in a keynote address at the opening of the National Industrial Manpower Summit (NIMS) 2025 at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, the President represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima said Nigeria must invest in its citizens without delay or risk serious consequences.
The summit, themed “Manpower Development: The Bridge Between Potential and Productivity,” brought together government officials, industry leaders, academia, and international partners to generate practical strategies for workforce development.
“For a nation with a median age of about seventeen, Nigeria is an incredibly young country. This youthfulness is a gift, but also a responsibility. We must make our young people more than just a demographic figure, they must be central to our policy-making process,” Tinubu said.
He told participants that “human capital, along with infrastructure and sound policy, is the bridge between development and decline in every nation,” adding that “we cannot afford to neglect our people because the world will not wait for us.”
Tinubu stressed that the summit is “not merely a discussion forum; it is a call to develop actionable proposals that will shape Nigeria’s first-ever National Industrial Manpower Development Policy.” He assured that his administration would review, adopt, and urgently implement workable recommendations.
“Our mission is to align the education and training of young Nigerians and the wider workforce with industry needs. We must fix the mismatch between what our institutions produce and what the economy requires. This can only happen if we strengthen collaboration between the public and private sectors to prepare young Nigerians for the realities of today’s job market,” he said.
The President warned that the rise of disruptive technologies demands a constantly adaptive workforce and that Nigeria risks widening its skills gap if it fails to prepare.
He called for the creation of an industrial skills database, sector-specific manpower plans, and greater recognition for vocational and industrial training, insisting that welders, machinists, technicians, software engineers, and factory operators must be given “the dignity, respect, and opportunity they deserve.”
“This summit is not just a platform for dialogue; it is an opportunity to rethink manpower, work, and the future of Nigeria’s industrial economy,” he added.
Earlier, Minister of State for Industry Senator John Owan Enoh described the summit as evidence of Tinubu’s strategic leadership, noting that it was deliberate of the President to appoint the first Senior Special Assistant on Industrial Training and Development.
“At this gathering, we celebrate the realisation of the President’s vision. There are moments in a nation’s journey when history seems to lean forward. When that happens, it is to see whether we can seize the opportunities before us. Today, in this hall, we stand at such a moment,” Enoh said.
