The Federal Government has launched a national skills programme designed to connect 20 million young Nigerians to jobs, training, and entrepreneurship opportunities by 2030. Vice-President Kashim Shettima announced the initiative during the inaugural board meeting of Generation Unlimited Nigeria (GenU 9JA) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, noting that at least 60 percent of beneficiaries are expected to be women.
Shettima, who chairs the reactivated GenU Board, described Nigeria’s youthful population as the nation’s “superpower” in a rapidly ageing world, stressing the need to invest in and channel this asset toward productive ends. He warned that the country’s skills ecosystem faces a “trilemma” — exclusion of many young people from the start, a disconnect between training programmes and real livelihoods, and inadequate infrastructure for practical learning.
At the heart of the programme is the Digital Access and Livelihoods Initiative (DALI), a national talent pipeline linking foundational and work-readiness training to guaranteed jobs or enterprise pathways. Shettima said all training would align with the National Skills Qualification Framework to ensure Nigerian youth have both the skills and credentials to compete globally. He called the initiative a turning point in tackling youth unemployment, promising that the government will offer not just hope, but concrete opportunities.
Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to creating jobs, bridging the skills gap, and fostering meaningful human capital development. Special Assistant to the President on Strategy and Policy, Rimamskeb Nuhu, explained that DALI is built on two pillars — equipping underserved communities with digital skills and establishing Renewed Hope Digital Hubs to expand existing government initiatives.
UN Resident Coordinator Mohamed Fall urged all stakeholders to support Nigerian youth, calling them the country’s most critical asset. UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative Wafaa Saeed announced the formal recognition of the Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA) as Nigeria’s national youth opportunities aggregator, providing a one-stop digital platform for skills training, innovation, volunteering, and economic opportunities.
Global CEO of UNICEF Generation Unlimited, Kevin Frey, commended Nigeria’s leadership in youth innovation, describing the country as one of the most dynamic in the world. Launched in 2021, GenU 9JA is a Public-Private-Youth-Partnership platform aiming to help millions of young Nigerians transition from education to employment, productive work, and active citizenship by 2030.