The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has warned that Nigeria’s economic reforms may not deliver sustainable results unless supported by strong skills development.
It said economic transformation without skills transformation is not sustainable, stressing that the country’s future growth depends on the quality, relevance, and responsiveness of its skills development system.
The warning was given on Tuesday in Lagos during a Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Stakeholders Summit themed “Building Industry-Ready Professionals for a $1 Trillion Economy: Strengthening TVET Through Public-Private Partnership,” organised by NACCIMA.
Speaking at the summit, NACCIMA National President, Jani Ibrahim, said Nigeria, despite being one of Africa’s largest labour markets, continues to struggle with a mismatch between available skills and industry needs.
He noted that although official unemployment figures may appear moderate, over 90 per cent of the workforce is engaged in informal or vulnerable employment, with low productivity and limited growth prospects.
According to him, youth unemployment and underemployment remain persistent challenges, with many young Nigerians unable to transition from education into meaningful jobs.
“This is not merely a labour market issue; it is a structural economic challenge. And this is where TVET must take centre stage,” he said.
Ibrahim added that successful industrial economies are built on strong technical and vocational systems that are industry-led, demand-driven, and innovation-oriented, but noted that Nigeria’s education and training systems have long been misaligned with labour market needs.
He said the result is a workforce of graduates who are qualified on paper but lack practical, technical, and entrepreneurial skills required in the workplace.
Also speaking, Chairman of NACCIMA’s Education Committee, Prof. Abdu-Na’allah, said employers in Nigeria continue to report difficulties in finding workers with job-ready technical skills.
He noted that global projections showed that by 2030, over 50 per cent of jobs would require intermediate technical skills, most of which fall within the TVET space.
“This clearly underscores one reality: economic transformation without skills transformation is not sustainable,” he said.
He added that while Nigeria has developed policies such as the National Skills Qualification Framework, the major challenge remains implementation, coordination, and scale.
He urged that NACCIMA and the organised private sector be positioned as institutional anchors for employer coordination in TVET, to ensure skills development is demand-driven.
According to him, TVET must be repositioned to deliver 21st-century skills, including digital literacy, problem-solving, and entrepreneurship.
In his keynote address, the 1st Deputy President of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Professor Adesoji Adesugba, said Nigeria’s demographic advantage can only be realised through productivity and skills development.
He noted that the country still blacked a coherent system that effectively connects training institutions with labour market needs.
He stressed that effective TVET systems globally are industry-led and anchored on employer participation in governance and implementation.
Also speaking, the Head of the GIZ SKYE Programme, Ms. Britta van Erckelens, said the private sector plays a critical role in addressing skills mismatches.
She said TVET should be viewed not just as a social responsibility but as a strategic investment that reduces recruitment costs, improves productivity, and aligns skills with business needs.
She added that only the private sector can accurately define current and future skills requirements, making its involvement essential in shaping effective training systems.
