President Tinubu Launches First National Industrial Manpower Policy to Bridge Skills Gap

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has unveiled Nigeria’s first-ever National Industrial Manpower Development Policy, aimed at bridging the country’s skills gap and boosting industrial productivity.

The policy was announced on Tuesday at the opening of the 2025 National Industrial Manpower Summit (NIMS) in Abuja. Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented the President at the State House Conference Centre.

In his keynote address, Tinubu said the nation’s greatest asset lies in its people rather than its natural resources, noting that with a median age of 17, Nigeria remains one of the youngest countries in the world.

“This youthfulness is a gift, but also a responsibility,” he said. “We must make our young people not just a demographic statistic but a central component of our policy-making process.”

The President stressed that human capital, alongside infrastructure and sound policy, forms the bridge between national progress and decline. He called on stakeholders to develop actionable recommendations that will serve as the foundation for the new manpower policy.

“Our mission is to align the education and training of our youth and workforce with the needs of industry,” Tinubu said. “We must reverse the mismatch between what our institutions produce and what our economy requires, through strong public-private collaboration.”

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He also proposed creating an industrial skills database, sector-specific manpower roadmaps, and elevating the status of vocational and industrial training. “Welders, machinists, technicians, software engineers, and factory operators must be treated with dignity, respect, and opportunity,” he said.

Minister of State for Industry, John Enoh, described the summit as a testament to Tinubu’s “targeted and impactful leadership,” while Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, said manpower development is key to attracting investment and driving industrialization under the President’s 8-point Renewed Hope Agenda.

Minister of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi, emphasized the need for unified national coordination on skills development, certification, and manpower planning.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industrial Training and Development, Adamson Oluwatoyin, described manpower development as “the bridge between Nigeria’s abundant potential and productivity.”

Director-General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Dr. Afiz Ogun, commended Tinubu’s foresight in appointing sector experts to key agencies, adding that the summit would set national targets for skills development and a framework for mobilizing resources cohesively.

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The summit, which drew participants from government, industry, and the private sector, is expected to produce the blueprint for implementing the new manpower policy nationwide.