FG To Train Youths, Create Jobs Through National Artisans Skills Acquisition Programme – Minister
The Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development Development, Alhaji Yusuf Abdullahi Ata says the Federal Government will collaborate with relevant stakeholders to is train Nigerian youths and create jobs through the National Artisans Skills Acquisition Programme.
A statement issued by the ministry’s Director Press and Public Relations, Badamasi Salisu Haiba, said the minister stated this when a delegation from the Centre for Skills Acquisition and Rural Development of the University of Uyo, led by its Director, Ambassador Ernest Essien, paid him a courtesy visit.
Ata said stakeholders like the centre could collaborate with the ministry to train and equip Nigerians with skills and resources to bridge the labour gap in the country.
He assured the delegation that the Ministry would continue to interact with the centre and work out areas of common interest.
“The Ministry will assist you as we factor your needs into our 2026 budget so that we can provide all the necessary assistance and support to carry out this project,” Ata said.
He noted that the Center has a very comprehensive skills development and acquisition programmes, which align with the National Artisans Skills Acquisition Programme, crafted to bridge the skills gap in the construction industry.
In his remarks , the Permanent Secretary of the ministry , Dr. Shuaib Belgore said the Centre’s youth skills and development programmes would support the ministry in the execution of its mandate of providing mass and affordable housing and infrastructure in the country.
Belgore said both parties would find common ground and work together.
Earlier, Essien, the Director of the Center, said that the visit was to seek partnership with the Housing and Urban Development ministry on skill acquisition and job creation in the Nigeria, particularly Akwa-Ibom state.
He Commended the Federal Government and the Ministry for training Nigerians from all walks of life on various skills to compete effectively in the labour market.
The director said for the ministry to deliver on its mandate of providing mass housing to citizens and build infrastructure across the country, it will require huge skilled manpower, which his centre can provide.
“The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is focusing on housing and infrastructural expansion and needs skilled and reliable workforce towards its national projects and that is where we are coming in.
“We are proposing to come in to create that skilled workforce through tertiary artisan students. This is to ensure that graduates are certified and ready to contribute to the Ministry’s goal,” Essien said.
“We appreciate and commend the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for initiating to train and digitally certify and integrate ten thousand construction artisans annually with job over a three-year period.”
