President Bola Tinubu has announced plans for Nigeria’s first-ever National Industrial Manpower Development Policy.
Represented by his Vice President, Kashim Shettima at the National Industrial Manpower Summit (NIMS) 2025, he stated that the nation’s greatest asset is its people, not its natural resources.
Tinubu stressed the urgent need to close the gap between what the educational system produces and the skills required by the industrial sector.
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The summit, themed “Manpower Development: The Bridge Between Potential and Productivity,” brought together key stakeholders, including government officials, industry leaders, academics, and international partners, to formulate actionable recommendations for workforce development.
“Nigeria is an incredibly young country,” the he said, noting its median age of about seventeen.
“This youthfulness is a gift, but it is also a responsibility. We must make our young people not just a demographic statistic but a central component of our policy-making process.”
Tinubu pledged that his administration would review, adopt, and implement viable proposals from the summit with urgency, emphasizing the need to create a robust collaboration between the public and private sectors.
He also called for the creation of an industrial skills database, sector-specific manpower roadmaps, and a renewed focus on vocational and industrial training.
Ministers and other officials at the summit echoed the President’s sentiments.
Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, described the event as a testament to the President’s “visionary leadership.”
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Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, highlighted the importance of national manpower for attracting and retaining investment.
They all agreed that the initiative is a critical step in aligning with the industrialization goals of Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda”
