FG Reforms Education to Produce 10 Million Global Talents by 2030

Nigeria's Federal Government has announced ambitious plans to generate one million jobs connected to export markets and ensure 10 million Nigerians acquire global certifications by the year 2030. These objectives are to be achieved through significant reforms within the country's education and skills development sectors. Mr. Ikharo Attah, who serves as the Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, confirmed these details in a statement released on Sunday from Abuja.

Attah quoted Dr. Alausa, who spoke at the “Hire From Nigeria” side event held during the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York. The Minister highlighted the crucial role of the Federal Ministry of Education in the National Talent Export Programme's supply chain, specifically in creating a talent pipeline directly linked to international employment prospects. He explained that the ministry is actively restructuring Nigeria's education and skills framework to cultivate a workforce that is trained, certified, and adaptable, capable of competing effectively in the global outsourcing and digitally-enabled services market.

According to Dr. Alausa, Nigeria possesses a strong foundation for participation in the global services economy, thanks to its youthful population, proficiency in the English language, cultural adaptability, and increasing digital capabilities. He stated, “Nigeria’s greatest asset is its people: a young, ambitious, English-speaking and increasingly digitally capable population. Our task in Education is to turn that scale into verified competence and reliable service delivery.” The Minister emphasized that the nation’s competitiveness in a rapidly evolving global market would be determined by the quality of its skills and reliability.

He identified several challenges requiring urgent attention, including the disparity between current training methods and evolving employer demands, limited opportunities for work-based learning, and insufficient access to internationally recognized certifications. To tackle these issues, Dr. Alausa noted that the ministry is implementing curriculum reforms, strengthening accreditation and quality assurance processes, and expanding digital and technical training initiatives. He advocated for a continuous “employer-led feedback loop, not occasional curriculum reviews,” stressing the necessity for employers to be involved in programme design, training, assessment, certification, and recruitment.

The reform agenda also aims to transform public perception of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), repositioning skills acquisition as a viable route to income generation, entrepreneurship, and global opportunities. Dr. Alausa revealed that the Federal Government's complimentary TVET programme has garnered over one million applications, with approximately 160,000 trainees receiving support across about 1,200 centres nationwide. These centres encompass Federal Technical Colleges and accredited private training institutions.

Furthermore, the government is fostering diverse avenues for employment and enterprise, including university education, TVET, apprenticeships, and ongoing upskilling. Each pathway is designed to offer opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship, and continuous learning. Preparing young Nigerians for an economy increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence and advanced technologies is another key priority. The Minister asserted, “We must train young people to work with artificial intelligence, not to compete with it on routine tasks.” He added that the focus is shifting towards skills that complement technology, such as judgment, creativity, domain knowledge, data literacy, cybersecurity, cloud services, software development, customer success, and quality assurance.

Dr. Alausa also mentioned that the Digital Training Academy is collaborating with international learning providers like Coursera and Pluralsight to offer 32,000 Nigerians free access to professional digital and technology training. This programme covers fields such as product management, cloud computing, cybersecurity, information technology automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning, financial technology, and natural language processing. Additionally, the Student Venture Capital Grant is providing support to students in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) disciplines, helping them translate innovative concepts into viable businesses.

Given the rapid pace of technological advancements, Dr. Alausa underscored the importance of Nigeria's education system equipping young people to continuously learn, unlearn, and retrain throughout their professional lives. He urged international employers, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) operators, investors, and development partners to move beyond mere expressions of interest and engage in practical partnerships and invest in Nigerian talent pipelines. He called on employers to articulate their skill requirements, co-design training programmes, provide work-based learning, acknowledge credible Nigerian certifications, and recruit from the nation's talent pools. The Minister further encouraged BPO operators and investors to establish and expand their delivery centres beyond Nigeria’s largest cities.