In a bid to reinvigorate technical and vocational education, the Nigerian government has introduced a N45,000 monthly grant for students enrolled in technical colleges across the country.
The policy aims to attract more young people to skills-based training as part of a broader strategy to combat youth unemployment and reposition the country’s workforce for modern challenges.
The Executive Secretary of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Idris Bugaje, disclosed the development during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s second-year reform agenda and marks a turning point in Nigeria’s efforts to revamp its Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system.
“With this, young people will find it more attractive to come to a technical college, acquire skills qualifications, get jobs locally and even beyond the borders of Nigeria,” said Bugaje. “This way, the whole sector is being repositioned. We are at the moment facing what you may call either a resurrection or a rebirth of TVET.”
Historic Decline
Technical education in Nigeria was once a key driver of workforce development, especially in the pre- and post-independence eras. But according to Bugaje, the sector has seen a steep decline since the 1980s due to chronic underfunding and lack of policy focus.
“During colonial days and the early part of our independence, TVET had received attention,” he noted. “But, since the 1980s, we have been going down the drain.”
There are currently 123 technical colleges across the country, according to the National Board for Technical Education – starkly fewer than Nigeria’s roughly 15,000 senior secondary schools.
Beyond Stipends
In addition to the monthly grant, the federal government has committed to covering other key costs for students in technical colleges. These include tuition fees, industry-based supervision through master craft instructors, and certification expenses.
To finance this initiative, a N120 billion grant has been approved and will be managed by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND). Bugaje clarified that this is not a loan scheme: “The N45,000 is not a loan, but a grant. Students who enjoy this are not going to pay back. We want to encourage more people to enroll in technical education.”
To ensure the longevity of these reforms, the Ministry of Education is working on a bill that will establish a National Skills Fund under a proposed Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF). Bugaje said this legal backing will institutionalize support for both public and private TVET institutions.
“This was an idea we have been talking about in the past years, but the new minister has taken it up,” he said. “The bill shall soon be presented in the National Assembly to establish the Nigerian Skills Qualification Framework and under it, the National Skills Fund.”
The overhaul of technical education in Nigeria comes amid growing recognition that university degrees alone may not solve the country’s employment crisis. The federal government is shifting focus to practical, industry-relevant training—reforming TVET curricula to dedicate 80% of instruction to hands-on learning and only 20% to theory.
Earlier this year, Nigeria also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China aimed at strengthening vocational education through equipment supply, skills training, and curriculum enhancement. The partnership is expected to further support the nationwide rollout of modern technical education practices.
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