FG Seeks Private Sector’s Support To Curb Unemployment

The Federal Government has called on the support of the private sector in the provision of technical and vocational training to address the level of unemployment in the country.

The Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Mariam Katagum said this on Thursday in Abuja at the kick-off ceremony on the Industrial Training Fund vocational training programme

Nigeria’s unemployment rate as of the second quarter of this year stood at 27.1 per cent.

Analysis of the Labour Statistics Report showed that the number of Nigerians that were unemployed rose by 258.9 per cent from 6.063 million as of the second quarter of 2015 to 21.765 million as of the end of June this year.

Speaking at the event, the minister described the huge unemployment rate in the country as worrisome.

Katagum said given the enormity of the challenges posed by unemployment, collaborative efforts among agencies of goverment and private organizations is imperative if the country is to successfully tackle the challenge of poverty and job creation.

She, therefore appealed to other critical stakeholders to follow the example of the ITF and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board through concerted synergy as one partner cannot do it alone.

The minister urge the participants at the training to seize the rare opportunity to use the skills they are going to acquire, to not only put food on their table but also contribute meaningfully to growing the Nigerian economy.

The Director-General, ITF, Joseph Ari, said it is common consensus that the only way to effectively diversify and indeed grow any economy is through skills acquisition.

He said that the high unemployment rate in Nigeria among other issues has impacted negatively on our economy thus jeopardising national security and socio-economic development.

The ITF DG said, “Given the enormity of the challenges posed by unemployment, collaborative efforts amongst Agencies and organizations become imperative if we are to successfully tackle the challenge of poverty and job creation.

“The high unemployment rate in Nigeria among other issues has impacted negatively on our economy thus jeopardising national security and socio-economic development.

“The absence of matching skills with industry needs has also heightened the rate of unemployment, especially among youths.”

In order to bridge the skills gap in the country, Ari said the ITF in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation conducted survey in six priority areas of the economy.

The sectors are agro-allied, construction, oil and gas, metal and solid minerals, light manufacturing and services.

The major objective of the study, according to him, was to provide information on industrial skills demand, supply and gaps in Nigeria, since skills form the bedrock of every country’s economy.

He said skills acquisition are not only linked to aggregate economic performance but also to each individual’s success in the labour market.

However, the ITF Boss noted that having skills is not enough; to achieve growth, both for a country and for an individual, as they must be put to productive use at work.