By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Federal Government has rolled out a new reform agenda for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, targeting industrialisation, job creation and economic growth, as it inaugurated the Governing Board of the National Board for Technical Education after more than five years without one.
The board was inaugurated on Thursday, 6 August, 2026 in Abuja, where the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, charged members to fast-track reforms aligning technical education with industry needs, modernise curricula, certify skilled artisans and strengthen Nigeria’s global competitiveness. He described the event as a major milestone in implementing President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Alausa said the administration was shifting Nigeria’s education system away from overdependence on academic certificates toward producing competent, innovative and highly skilled graduates capable of driving industrialisation and entrepreneurship.
“The inauguration of this Governing Board is another significant milestone in the implementation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” he said.
He congratulated the chairman and board members, describing their appointments as recognition of their professionalism, integrity and commitment to national service.
“I am confident that the calibre of individuals appointed will provide the strategic leadership required to strengthen NBTE’s mandate, deepen reforms across the technical education sector and accelerate the Federal Government’s vision of building a globally competitive workforce,” he said.
Alausa stressed that TVET should no longer be seen as a second-choice pathway but as a strategic national priority.
“No nation can achieve meaningful industrialisation without a strong base of technicians, technologists, artisans, fabricators, automation specialists, machine operators and other skilled professionals,” he said.
He listed four priorities for the board: strategic leadership and oversight, accelerating the Recognition of Prior Learning framework, modernising curricula to reflect Industry 4.0, and ensuring prudent management of public resources.
He directed the board to work with the Industrial Training Fund to accelerate the Recognition of Prior Learning initiative, which certifies skilled artisans under the National Skills Qualification Framework.
He said it would improve employability, expand access to finance, open opportunities for government contracts and enhance labour mobility across ECOWAS.
Alausa also ordered a review of technical curricula through Outcome-Based Education, insisting programmes must reflect artificial intelligence, automation, digital and green technologies, and advanced manufacturing.
He urged polytechnics to phase out non-technical programmes outside their mandate while strengthening engineering and applied science courses.
On accountability, he said: “Public resources, capital projects, intervention funds, research initiatives and institutional investments must translate into measurable improvements in skills acquisition, institutional performance, youth employment and national productivity.”
Responding, board chairman Prof Babatunde Salako thanked President Tinubu and the minister for the confidence reposed in the members.
“This inauguration marks the beginning of a new chapter for technical education in Nigeria. We will work diligently to expand opportunities for young Nigerians to acquire relevant technical skills, promote innovation and nurture a new generation of entrepreneurs and job creators,” he said.
He added that changing the perception of TVET as a second-choice option would be an immediate priority. “We must encourage parents, students and society to embrace TVET as a respected pathway to employment, entrepreneurship and national development,” he said.
NBTE Executive Secretary, Prof Idris Bugaje, called the inauguration historic, noting the agency had operated without a governing board for over five years.
“This is a landmark achievement that reflects the Honourable Minister’s decisive leadership and unwavering commitment to repositioning technical education in Nigeria,” he said, pledging the board’s cooperation with the ministry.
The inauguration comes as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to reposition TVET as a cornerstone of its education reforms. In recent months, the ministry has expanded investments in the sector, revitalised technical colleges, strengthened skills acquisition programmes and promoted industry-driven curriculum reforms.
The government has also launched plans to certify millions of skilled artisans through the Recognition of Prior Learning framework, arguing this remains critical to creating jobs, closing Nigeria’s skills gap and driving sustainable growth under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
