By Bello Wakili
The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education (OSSAP-TVEE) has announced the continued rollout of the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS), a flagship Federal Government initiative aimed at lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within ten years through economic growth and targeted social protection.
Dr. Abiola Arogundade, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, says the programme is a central pillar of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which holds that Nigerian youths are not the problem facing the country but the solution to its challenges.
The NPRGS launched its pioneer cohort in Abuja on June 30, 2025, with an intensive 10-day training programme in cybersecurity and web development, alongside a solar energy installation upscaling track.
Dr. Arogundade describes the phase as a resounding success, noting that participants who arrived skeptical left with practical, marketable skills, having built their first websites and gained an understanding of digital security fundamentals.
Graduates received laptops and certificates of completion.
The Abuja phase alone drew over 7,000 applications, highlighting strong public demand for the programme.
Building on the momentum from Abuja, the NPRGS is expanding across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones, with each zone hosting 200 trainees in 10-day to two-week training sessions.
Skills offered in each state are selected based on local market demand, relevance, and trainee preferences.
In total, 1,200 Nigerian youths will benefit from this initial phase of the programme nationwide.
Oyo State (South West Zone): Training will being on the 28th Of September, 2026, running daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. two weeks. Trainees are learning:
• Graphics/Artificial Intelligence (AI) design
• Makeup
• Fashion designing
Enugu State (South East Zone): As one of six designated training hubs, Enugu is offering:
• Makeup
• Solar energy installation, covering panel installation, maintenance, and off-grid solutions
• Fashion designing
Kebbi State (North West Zone): Rounding out the current phase, Kebbi is providing training in:
• Graphics/Artificial Intelligence (AI) design
• Fashion design
• Agriculture (yoghurt making), covering dairy processing, packaging, and small-scale agribusiness
Each participant will receive a complete training kit during the programme, which they will take home upon completion.
This includes laptops for Graphics/AI trainees, fully equipped makeup kits for Makeup trainees, sewing machines and starter kits for Fashion Designing trainees, and fermentation kits for Agriculture (Yoghurt Making) trainees.
The programme’s core objectives are to:
• Equip Nigerian youths with practical, marketable skills
• Reduce unemployment and underemployment
• Promote entrepreneurship and self-reliance
• Advance the national goal of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within 10 years
OSSAP-TVEE is calling on state governments, traditional rulers, community leaders, and the private sector to partner with the Federal Government as the programme expands to additional states across the country.
Editing By Godwin Duru
