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Recently, industrial experts converged at the lecture organised by the Industrial Division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) to develop actionable strategies that will address the country’s skills gap; ADEOLA AKINBOBOLA writes.
Despite abundant natural resources, Nigeria’s industrial sector has struggled to achieve significant growth and diversification.
It has also been observed that industrialisation is a major factor in economic growth and development of any nation.
Also, the availability of essential goods and services, improved living standard, stimulate other sectors of the economy, poverty reduction, job creation, development of skilled manpower, which are all elements that determine a nation’s level of industrialisation.
In a bid to harness all these, the NSE said there is the need to realign Nigeria’s educational and technical training systems, enhance collaboration between industry and academia and adopt forward-thinking policies for sustainable industrialisation.
Bridging skills gap
The President/Chairman-in-Council, Engr. Margaret Aina Oguntala, said by bridging the skills gap, “we are equipping Nigeria for a future of sustainable industrialisation, economic growth and global competitiveness.”
According to her, there is a need to work together to develop actionable strategies and implementable recommendations that address the skills gap and also lay the groundwork for the industrial revolution in Nigeria.
She commended the Industrial Division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers for its vibrancy and commitment to promoting good governance and fostering constructive engagements within the engineering and industrial sectors
Also, the National Chairman Engr Dr David Abu Ozigi NIIndE explained that these public lectures brought together participants from government agencies, the academia and private sector industry players to brainstorm on Nigeria’s industrial development journey and articulate the best approach to Nigeria’s sustainable economic development.
” At each of these fora, there has been a subtle remark on the importance of skills development in Industrialization.
“The theme of our January 2025 Lecture which is Mitigating the Skills Gap in Nigeria’s Industrialization is therefore a logical response to the acknowledgement of this fact.
“To bridge the skills gap in Nigeria’s industrialization will of necessity require carrying out a skills gap analysis, by identifying areas where skills and knowledge are lacking, and then create plans to address them.
“Furthermore, it will require adequate Investment in skills acquisition programmes in addition to reskilling the existing workforce,” he said.
Also, in a paper presentation on ” Mitigating the Skills Gap in Nigeria’s Industrialization” by a medical scientist and clinician industrialist, Dr Henry E. Emejuo said bridging the skills gap in Nigeria is imperative for the country’s industrialisation journey.
He said it requires a concerted effort from government, educational institutions, business and communities.
According to him, by aligning education with industry needs, investing in vocational training and fostering public private partnerships, we can prepare a skilled workforce ready to propel our industries forward.
Lack of key infrastructure
On the pressing issue of the skills gap hindering Nigeria’s industrialisation, the Executive Secretary, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) Prof Idris Bugaje observed that the structure of the Nigerian economy is typical of an underdeveloped country.
He said the country lacks key infrastructure such as: reliable power, transportation roads and rail especially, poor security.
Others are: outdated education curricula – neo-colonial educational system often fails to provide industry-relevant skills, brain drain- highly skilled professionals seek opportunities abroad due to limited prospects in Nigeria, lack of Investment – limited public and private investment in vocational training and skills development.
Current efforts at addressing skills gap
He said there is a need for a unified national skills policy, establishment of more vocational training centers to equip individuals with practical skills, and an apprenticeship programme offering hands-on training and practical experience in specific industries.
He also observed that ITF is not doing well in SIWES. Informal apprenticeship is unregulated and products are unlicensed. RPL is a tool that can be deployed to enhance the informal sector (75% of GDP is informal).
He recommended three strategies for workforce development: Up skilling – Providing opportunities for existing workers to acquire new skills relevant to industry demands; Reskilling – Training individuals for different roles or sectors to match emerging job market trends; and Mentorship- Connecting skilled professionals with young people to share knowledge and experience.
He suggested that there was a need to address the skills gap that is crucial for Nigeria’s industrialisation and economic prosperity, through strategic investments in education, training, and public-private partnership.
Nigeria’s premature experience in deindustrialization
On a premature deindustrialisation, the Senior Special Adviser to the President of African Development Bank (AfDB) on Industrialisation and a Professorial Fellow at the United Nations University, Professor Oyebanji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, stated that the country is experiencing premature deindustrialisation noting that the existing skills gap is essentially due to Nigeria’s education system that lacks practical components for workplace readiness.
Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, who is also the guest speaker, said the nation is witnessing unemployment and underemployment because many graduates lack relevant skills despite entering the job market.
He further noted that Nigeria is witnessing an “inverted skills hierarchy” especially as ILO recommends: engineers (3%), technicians (18%), craftspeople (81%), while Nigeria’s reality is engineers (85%), technicians (11%), craftspeople (4%).
Achieving Africa’s 2063 agenda for industrialisation
He stated that modernising TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) is key to achieving Africa’s 2063 agenda for industrialisation, inclusive growth, and sustainable development.
The AfDB and ILO analysed TVET systems across 16 African countries and developed recommendations to increase investment in skills development and build stakeholder capacity for improved TVET performance.
He recommended the integration of entrepreneurship training into TVET curriculum.
He said there is need to “Tie to TVET initiatives for hands-on business training and skill development, focus on practical investment in youth, creating businesses rather than just empowerment training, amongst others”.
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