The Federal Government is set to develop a 10-year National Industrial Workforce Strategy as part of efforts to tackle Nigeria’s skills gap and provide the manpower needed to drive industrial growth.
The initiative will form part of the focus of the second National Industrial Manpower Summit, NIMS 2.0, scheduled for October 15 and 16 at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industrial Training and Development, Adamson Oluwatosin Ayinde, disclosed this at a joint press conference announcing the 2026 edition of the summit.
Ayinde said the summit, themed “Unlocking Nigeria’s Human Capital for Industrial Transformation: Building Skills, Driving Innovation and Creating Prosperity,” was designed to develop a skilled and productive workforce capable of meeting the demands of a changing industrial economy.
“NIMS was established as a Presidential platform to address the need for a skilled, productive and innovative workforce to support Nigeria’s industrial development,” he said.
He said the inaugural summit in 2025 attracted more than 2,500 participants from over 10 countries, with about 120 speakers and resource persons, while over five Memoranda of Understanding were signed.
According to him, recommendations from the maiden edition had contributed to subsequent policy engagements, including moves towards a national skills architecture, greater emphasis on manpower development in the National Industrial Policy and free registration and training for more than 250,000 nano, micro and small businesses.
Ayinde also announced the commencement of work on a National Industrial Manpower Competence Registry/Portal in partnership with the Industrial Training Fund and the Bank of Industry, saying the platform would address the shortage of reliable data on available industrial skills and future manpower requirements.
He said NIMS 2.0 would also target emerging industries and technologies, skills-to-jobs conversion, enterprise development and the positioning of Nigeria as a leading African destination for industrial talent and innovation.
The summit, he added, would promote stronger Technical and Vocational Education and Training and apprenticeship systems, industry-academia collaboration and skills development in artificial intelligence, robotics, automation, renewable energy and advanced manufacturing.
Also speaking, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Industrial Training Fund, Dr Afiz Oluwatoyin Ogun, described the summit as a platform for closing the gap between formal education, vocational training and the manpower needs of industries.
Ogun said the ITF, as co-host and principal partner, would deploy its over five decades of experience in skills development, training infrastructure and industry partnerships to support NIMS 2.0.
He said the Fund would contribute to the proposed 10-year workforce strategy, technical and vocational training reforms and the standardisation of skills certification.
“The summit provides an opportunity to mobilise resources, scale skills development and integrate skilled Nigerian talent into manufacturing, technology and other critical sectors of the economy,” Ogun said.
He urged private sector operators, investors and industry leaders to actively participate in the summit, saying stronger collaboration was necessary to build a sustainable talent pipeline, raise productivity, generate employment and improve Nigeria’s competitiveness globally.
The officials stressed that the success of NIMS 2.0 would ultimately depend on translating its resolutions into concrete programmes, partnerships and measurable outcomes, with government, industry, academia, labour and young Nigerians expected to play key roles.
