The National Council on Skills has ratified the alignment of the mandates of the Nigeria Board for Technical Education and the Industrial Training Fund, a move officials say is designed to support President Bola Tinubu's industrialisation drive.

The Council also adopted the National Skills Observatory platform as the foundation for evidence based policymaking in Nigeria, decisions reached at its ninth meeting on Wednesday in Abuja.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, who presided over the session, stressed the need to align national training infrastructure with industry needs, describing the ratification as consistent with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, explained that the meeting furthered Tinubu's mandate to expand job opportunities for young Nigerians across various sectors of the economy, noting that the National Council on Skills, chaired by the Vice President, had been reinvigorated and repositioned to deliver stronger outcomes for Nigerian youths.

He added that the ratification centred on streamlining the national skills qualification framework and clarifying how awarding bodies and sectoral skills councils will operate going forward.

Also discussed at the meeting was the partnership between the Aliko Dangote Skills Acquisition Centre, Kano, and the Kano State Government to finalise the eventual takeover of the Centre by the Aliko Dangote Foundation.

The Minister of State for Industry, John Enoh, disclosed that the Federal Government was making concerted efforts to achieve industrialisation, revealing that the skills sector was being reinvigorated through the provision of vocational and related training in specific skill sets for young Nigerians.

He further noted the significance of the special skills programme introduced by the Tinubu administration, particularly as the country pushes towards industrialisation.

Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, described the national skills programme as one of the most impactful initiatives to benefit the country, outlining programmes currently being implemented within Jigawa State's skills sector.

The Governor commended the Tinubu administration for creating an enabling environment that allows sub national governments to generate opportunities for young Nigerians across different sectors.