The Federal Government on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to transforming Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) into a key driver of Nigeria’s industrialisation, economic competitiveness and youth employment with the inauguration of the Governing Board of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).
Speaking at the inauguration in Abuja, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, described the event as a major milestone in the implementation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritises education and human capital development as critical pillars of economic transformation.
Alausa said the administration is repositioning Nigeria’s education system to produce skilled, innovative and employable graduates capable of driving industrial growth, entrepreneurship and national productivity, rather than relying solely on academic qualifications.
He congratulated the chairman and members of the newly inaugurated board, describing their appointments as a recognition of their professionalism, integrity and commitment to national service. According to him, the board is expected to provide strategic leadership that will strengthen NBTE’s regulatory mandate and accelerate reforms in the technical education sector.
The minister stressed that TVET should no longer be viewed as an alternative to university education but as a strategic national priority essential for economic development.
“No nation can achieve meaningful industrialisation without a strong base of technicians, technologists, artisans, fabricators, automation specialists, machine operators and other skilled professionals,” he said.
Alausa outlined four major priorities for the board, including providing strategic oversight while allowing the NBTE management to handle day-to-day administration, accelerating the implementation of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) framework to certify skilled artisans, modernising curricula to reflect Industry 4.0 technologies, and ensuring transparency and accountability in the utilisation of public resources.
He explained that the RPL initiative, to be implemented in collaboration with the Industrial Training Fund and other stakeholders, would enable skilled artisans to obtain formal certification under the National Skills Qualification Framework, thereby improving employment opportunities, access to finance and labour mobility within the ECOWAS region.
The minister also directed the board to drive curriculum reforms through Outcome-Based Education, integrating emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation, advanced manufacturing and green technologies into technical education programmes. He urged polytechnics to strengthen programmes in engineering, applied sciences and technology while gradually phasing out non-technical courses outside their statutory mandate.
Responding on behalf of the board, its Chairman, Professor Babatunde L. Salako, thanked President Tinubu and the Minister of Education for the confidence reposed in the members, describing the inauguration as the beginning of a new era for technical education in Nigeria.
He pledged the board’s full support for the Federal Government’s reforms and promised to work towards expanding opportunities for young Nigerians to acquire market-relevant technical skills, promote innovation and foster entrepreneurship.
Salako also identified changing public perception of technical education as one of the board’s key responsibilities, noting that TVET should be recognised as a respected pathway to employment, entrepreneurship and national development.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of NBTE, Professor Idris M. Bugaje, described the inauguration as historic, noting that the agency had operated without a governing board for more than five years. He commended the minister for restoring the board and pledged the agency’s commitment to working closely with the Federal Ministry of Education to implement the administration’s TVET transformation agenda.
Formally inaugurating the board on behalf of President Tinubu, Alausa urged members to discharge their responsibilities with integrity, wisdom and dedication, emphasising that the future of Nigeria’s technical education system and a significant aspect of the country’s economic competitiveness depend on their leadership.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening TVET as a catalyst for industrialisation, innovation, job creation and sustainable economic growth, assuring that investments in technical education would translate into tangible benefits for Nigerians.
