President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday announced plans for Nigeria’s first-ever National Industrial Manpower Development Policy, declaring that the nation’s greatest asset lies in its people rather than its natural resources.
Speaking at the opening of the 2025 National Industrial Manpower Summit (NIMS) at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja, the President, represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, stressed the urgent need to bridge the gap between educational output and industry requirements to unlock Nigeria’s economic potential.
In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, Tinubu said, “For a nation with a median age of about seventeen, Nigeria is an incredibly young country. This youthfulness is a gift, but it is also a responsibility. We must make our young people not just a demographic statistic but a central component of our policy-making process”.
He described human capital, alongside infrastructure and sound policy, as “the bridge between development and setback in every nation,” warning that Nigeria could not afford to “divest from our people because the world will not pause to wait for us.”
The President said the summit – themed “Manpower Development: The Bridge Between Potential and Productivity” – must produce actionable recommendations to form the basis of the new policy.
“I assure you that this administration will review, adopt, and implement viable proposals with urgency,” he pledged.
Tinubu said the mission is to align education and training with industry needs and reverse the mismatch between institutional output and economic requirements.
He called for robust public-private sector collaboration, an industrial skills database, sector-specific manpower roadmaps, and an elevated status for vocational and industrial training, noting that welders, machinists, technicians, software engineers, and factory operators must be “treated with the dignity, respect, and opportunity they deserve.”
He warned that disruptive technologies demanded a constantly evolving workforce and urged a rethinking of manpower, work, and the future of Nigeria’s industrial economy.
Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, described the summit as evidence of Tinubu’s “touching the right spots” in governance, noting the significance of appointing the first Senior Special Assistant on Industrial Training and Development.
“There are moments in a nation’s journey when history itself seems to lean forward… today in this hall, we stand at such a moment,” he said.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, said manpower development is key to attracting and retaining domestic investment for industrialisation, stressing that the ministry’s mandate is firmly anchored in the President’s 8-point Renewed Hope Agenda for building a stronger, more competitive, and inclusive economy.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Alhaji Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, called for a shift from fragmented to collaborative efforts in skills development, certification, and manpower planning, “where every player knows his role, collaborates effectively and works towards one shared mandate.”
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industrial Training and Development, Mr Adamson Ayinde Oluwatoyin, described the summit as a turning point for shaping Nigeria’s workforce, warning that without skilled, adaptable, and innovative people, the nation’s industrial dream would remain unrealised.
Director General of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Dr Afiz Ogun Oluwatoyin, said the gathering provides a platform for policy dialogue, setting national skills targets, and mobilising resources cohesively.
He praised Tinubu’s foresight in placing “square pegs in square holes” in agencies with mandates on skills development.
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