The Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment has formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational, and Entrepreneurship Skills (OSSAP-TVEE) towards addressing unemployment challenges and fostering skill development.
The collaboration which is part of the federal government's initiative known as the Labour Employment and Empowerment Programme (LEEP), aimed to create sustainable job opportunities for Nigerians especially youth and women.
With a focus on vocational, technical, and entrepreneurial skills, LEEP seeks to lay the groundwork for the annual creation of 2.5 million jobs.
During the signing ceremony in Abuja, involving the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Abiola Arogundade, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha stated that the ambitious initiative recognised the critical role of skilled workers in driving economic growth and competitiveness both locally and globally.
She pledged the ministry's commitment to providing essential assets and infrastructure to support training and certification for programme participants.
The minister added that by leveraging the expertise of the OSSAP-TVEE, the ministry aimed to empower young Nigerians with the necessary skills to thrive in a rapidly evolving job market while she stressed the importance of vocational education and its impact on innovation and productivity.
Onyejeocha expressed gratitude to Arogundade and her team for their commitment which she stressed that the collaborative efforts would play a pivotal role in realising President Bola Tinubu administration's 8-point agenda on job creation.
She urged all stakeholders to remain dedicated to this noble cause, while emphasising that the partnership would set a new benchmark for public sector collaboration.
On her part, Arogundade stated that the collaboration would boost the percentage of highly skilled persons in Nigeria while aiding the ministry in achieving its mandate of job creation.
