More than 87,000 Nigerians have obtained certificates in practical Artificial Intelligence training in six months under a skills development initiative by the Industrial Training Fund and the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association.
The feat was announced at the 2026 ITF-NECA Technical Skills Development Project Stakeholders’ Dialogue Forum and Outstanding Performance Award Ceremony held at the NAF Conference Centre and Suites, Abuja, on Thursday.
The programme, implemented through the NECA-ITF platform in partnership with the International Organisation of Employers and Microsoft, recorded 101,000 registrations, highlighting growing interest in technology-driven skills acquisition.
Speaking at the event, Mrs Mercy Oyewole, who represented the Chairman of the ITF Governing Board, Hamma-Adama Ali Kumo, said Nigeria’s industrial development depended on a workforce equipped with relevant skills to meet changing industry needs.
She called for stronger cooperation among the government, employers and training institutions to ensure that vocational training translated into employment, entrepreneurship and improved living standards.
The Director-General of NECA, Adewale-Smart Oyerinde, described the 17-year partnership between the ITF and NECA as a model of effective collaboration between the public and private sectors.
Oyerinde identified the Standardised Vocational Training Programme as a major priority for the next phase of the partnership, noting its potential to improve artisans’ competence, professional standards and certification.
The stakeholders also called for increased industry participation, better training facilities, updated curricula, apprenticeship opportunities and enterprise support, stressing that initiatives such as the TSDP and SUPA remained crucial to closing Nigeria’s skills gap and building a workforce capable of driving economic growth.
