The Federal Government’s drive to tackle youth unemployment through skills development received a major boost in Borno State as 85 young men and women graduated under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme, an initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
The graduates, who completed intensive training in fashion design, beauty and cosmetology, and computer hardware repair, were also presented with start-up kits to enable them establish businesses and become self-reliant.
The graduation ceremony for the first batch of trainees was held on Saturday at Government Day Secondary School, 1000 Housing Estate, Maiduguri, and attracted government officials, education stakeholders, facilitators, community leaders and families of the beneficiaries.
Implemented in Borno by the Wondering Child Reform Initiative with support from the Federal Ministry of Education, the TVET programme is part of a five-year national skills acquisition initiative running from 2025 to 2030. The programme is designed to equip unemployed Nigerians with practical vocational skills, promote entrepreneurship and create sustainable livelihoods.
Speaking at the event, the representative of the Federal Ministry of Education, Mustapha Baba Bolori, said the initiative reflects President Tinubu’s commitment to human capital development through technical and vocational education.
He noted that the programme would continue over the next five years to ensure that thousands of Nigerian youths acquire marketable skills capable of improving their economic prospects and reducing unemployment.
The first batch in Borno comprised 32 graduates in fashion design and garment making, 28 in beauty and cosmetology, and 25 in computer hardware repair.
Training Manager of the programme, Yusuf Adamu, commended Governor Babagana Umara Zulum for providing a peaceful and enabling environment that facilitated the successful implementation of the Federal Government’s initiative in the state.
Also speaking, the Director of Quality Assurance at the Borno State Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Isa Aliyu, urged the graduates to make productive use of the skills and equipment provided, encouraging them to become employers of labour and contribute to the state’s economic growth.
The Executive Director of the Wondering Child Reform Initiative, Hajiya Maryam Yakubu Mustapha, alongside the Founder of TVET, Alhaji Shuaibu Ahmed Lawan, reaffirmed their commitment to supporting youth empowerment and skills development in line with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
One of the beneficiaries, Emmanuel Ibrahim, described the training as life-changing, saying he joined the programme without any knowledge of computer hardware repair but can now diagnose and fix computers independently.
He expressed gratitude to the Federal Government and the organisers for giving him a new opportunity to build a sustainable career and improve his future.
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