The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) and the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) are exploring a partnership aimed at expanding access to practical vocational and technical training for Nigerian youths.
The initiative is expected to provide artisans and aspiring craftsmen with hands-on training from expatriate instructors while working towards internationally recognised certifications.
During a visit to one of the training centres, ITF Director of Special Duties, Kayode Alakija, expressed satisfaction with the progress made by trainees after only three weeks of practical instruction.
The training covers several trades, including carpentry, tiling, painting and decoration, drylining, bricklaying and block making. Trainees are being exposed not only to technical skills but also to workplace safety and practical construction techniques.
In the carpentry section, participants were already producing benches, racks, rafters and roofing structures. British carpentry tutor, Andy Cranham, said trainees had progressed from basic butt joints to constructing truss rafters and hand-cut roofs within three weeks.
At the tiling section, trainees recreated a real-life toilet environment, including installing a water closet and tiling around it. One trainee, Abusuke Badare, said she was impressed by what she had achieved during the early days of hands-on training.
Another trainee, Mukta Oloriegbe, said the programme had also strengthened his understanding of workplace safety, noting that many Nigerian artisans often overlook the importance of protective equipment and safety procedures.
The emerging partnership comes amid concerns over Nigeria’s education and employment challenges. UNICEF reports that more than 10 million primary school-age children remain out of school, while 75 per cent of Nigerian children aged seven to 14 cannot read a simple sentence or solve a basic mathematics problem.
The National Bureau of Statistics also reported an unemployment rate of 4.3 per cent in the second quarter of 2024, while informal employment remained as high as 93 per cent, highlighting the importance of self-employment, apprenticeships, trades and small businesses in the Nigerian economy.
NELFUND’s proposed expansion into vocational training follows an earlier policy direction to extend its interest-free student loan scheme to Nigerians pursuing skills acquisition and vocational programmes.
NELFUND Managing Director, Akintunde Sawyerr, had disclosed in November 2025 that the Fund received 1.067 million loan applications, with 624,000 students benefiting. He said N65 billion had been paid directly to 239 government-owned institutions, while another N51 billion had been disbursed as upkeep allowances.
As of August 2026, NELFUND had reportedly received 1.6 million applications and disbursed more than N322 billion across 319 beneficiary institutions, creating a potentially significant financing platform for vocational and technical education.
Alakija said ITF was committed to replicating the training model across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones. He also disclosed plans to have artisans and master craftsmen from ITF-accredited centres observe the system and learn how to establish effective practical training facilities.
He acknowledged concerns that trained artisans could eventually leave Nigeria for better opportunities abroad but stressed the importance of ensuring that beneficiaries cascade their knowledge to other artisans.
According to him, producing thousands of skilled artisans across different trades for five consecutive years could significantly transform Nigeria’s skills ecosystem.
The World Bank’s February 2026 Human Capital Index Plus assessment further underscores the economic value of investing in education and skills, finding that increasing effective years of schooling to 12 years could raise labour earnings by about 20 per cent over the long term.
The NELFUND-ITF initiative therefore presents an opportunity to move beyond certificate-based education towards practical, market-relevant skills capable of improving employability, entrepreneurship and productivity.
The major challenge now is to move the partnership from the pilot and exploratory stage to nationwide scale, ensuring that the practical successes recorded in the training centres translate into a broader skills development revolution across Nigeria.