In a move aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s skilled workforce and promoting youth-led enterprise, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has graduated 250 young Nigerians from its Lagos Youth Skills Training Programme, providing each participant with starter packs to immediately launch their vocational careers.
The programme, implemented in partnership with Jake Riley Limited, focused on equipping participants with practical, income-generating skills aligned with Nigeria’s drive for local content development and economic self-reliance.
Participants were trained across seven vocational tracks, including Fashion Design, Solar Installation, and Digital Skills, among others. At the graduation ceremony, each graduand received tools and equipment customised to their area of training—ranging from precision screwdrivers and digital multimeters to fabric scissors and tailoring kits—designed to enable them to start work without delay.
Speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer of Jake Riley Limited, Mrs Funmi Ogbue, stressed that technical skills must be matched by strong personal values to achieve lasting success.
“Tools alone do not guarantee success,” she told the graduands. “Your attitude does. Your work ethic does. Your commitment to quality does. Your integrity does.”
The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engineer Felix Ogbe, described the initiative as a critical intervention in Nigeria’s vocational and industrial development pipeline. Represented by Mr John Barigha, Supervisor, Marine Vessel Categorisation, Ogbe said the programme was deliberately designed to move participants beyond job-seeking.
“You are not leaving this programme as job seekers,” he said. “You are leaving as job creators—as entrepreneurs and as the skilled workforce Nigeria needs.”
Beneficiaries of the programme expressed optimism about the opportunities now open to them. Ahmed Sule, a graduand in Solar Installation, said the training and starter pack would enable him to establish his own business and employ others.
“With my new skills and tools, I plan to set up a solar installation business and create jobs for others,” he said.
The graduation ceremony marked another milestone in NCDMB’s ongoing investment in youth empowerment, vocational training, and local content development, reinforcing the board’s role in building a sustainable, skills-driven economy.
