The Federal Government (FG) has unveiled a new national skills programme designed to connect 20 million young Nigerians to employment, training, and entrepreneurship opportunities by 2030, with women expected to make up at least 60% of beneficiaries.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who assumed chairmanship of the reactivated Generation Unlimited (GenU) Nigeria Board, announced the initiative during the board’s inaugural meeting in Abuja
The meeting, which coincided with International Youth Day 2025, was themed “Youth Innovation for a Sustainable Future.”
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Shettima described Nigeria’s youthful population as the nation’s “superpower” in a rapidly ageing world, warning that the country faced a “trilemma” of youth exclusion, disconnected training, and inadequate learning infrastructure.
He argued that isolated training schemes would not solve the problem and called for a “systemic change” to build a sustainable skills ecosystem.
The centrepiece of the new drive is the Digital Access and Livelihoods Initiative (DALI), a demand-led talent pipeline that will connect work-readiness and foundational training directly to guaranteed jobs or enterprise opportunities.
Shettima stressed that all training would align with the National Skills Qualification Framework to give young Nigerians both employable skills and globally recognised credentials.
“We owe young Nigerians jobs, hope, and proof that their country believes in them enough to invest in their success,” he said.
He urged the GenU Board, in collaboration with UNICEF and other partners, to move swiftly on DALI’s full implementation.
Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, said the administration’s vision was to create jobs, bridge skills gaps, and empower youths through human capital development rather than “token gestures.”
Special Assistant to the President on Strategy and Policy (Workforce Development), Rimamskeb Nuhu, explained that DALI would focus on equipping underserved communities with digital skills and establishing “Renewed Hope” digital hubs to expand existing government programmes.
According to official data, GenU 9JA’s existing projects have reached more than 10 million young Nigerians in four years through initiatives such as the FUCAP Campus Ambassadors Programme with Unilever, “Passport to Earning” with Microsoft, “Green Rising”, and the Girls’ Education and Skills Partnership with the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Fall, called Nigerian youths the country’s “most critical assets” and urged partners to strengthen support for large-scale youth empowerment programmes.
UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative and GenU 9JA co-chair, Wafaa Saeed, said the recognition of the Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA) as the national youth opportunities aggregator was a major milestone.
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Global CEO of UNICEF Generation Unlimited, Kevin Frey, praised Nigeria’s leadership in youth-focused innovation, describing the country as “one of the most dynamic” in the world.
Launched in 2021, GenU 9JA operates as a Public-Private-Youth-Partnership involving the FG, UNICEF, and private sector partners such as Microsoft, Airtel, IHS Towers, Unilever, CISCO, MTN, and Jobberman, with a mission to help young Nigerians transition from learning to earning, secure productive work, and actively participate in civic life.
