By our correspondant
As part of efforts to address rising unemployment, underemployment and the growing informal economy in Nigeria, the Federal ministry of Labour and Employment with support of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has completed the training of a new pool of trainers under its Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB) programme.
Nigerian Pilot reports that the training programme which concluded on Friday in Abuja, targeted a new pool of over 25 technically proficient certified SIYB trainers who will cascade entrepreneurship and business management skills nationwide as part of move to address employment, particularly among youth, women, and informal-sector workers.
Speaking at the closing session of the programme, Director of the ILO Country Office for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and Liaison Office for ECOWAS, Dr Vanessa Phala, described the training as “a significant milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to address persistent labour-market challenges, including youth underemployment, informality, and barriers faced by women, persons with disabilities, and other marginalised groups.”
Our correspondent reports that Nigeria continues to grapple with high levels of youth unemployment and underemployment where millions of jobseekers enter the labour market annually without adequate skills or resources to start and sustain productive enterprises.
Phala explained that the Training of Trainers (ToT) of the SIYB programme, delivered under both the SEESIN and the Action for Improving Labour Migration Governance in Nigeria (ACTION) projects, is designed to build a pool of “technically proficient, gender-responsive, and socially inclusive-certified SIYB trainers”
“For the ILO, the SIYB programme is critical for promoting financial inclusion, enabling informed decision-making, and supporting pathways to decent work, particularly for populations vulnerable to economic displacement or migration,” Phala said.
She stressed that access to business and financial literacy remains key to ensuring that small businesses are viable, sustainable and inclusive.
Phala commended the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, organised labour and employers’ organisations for their collaboration, as well as GIZ for funding the SEESIN and ACTION projects.
Mr. Joseph Akpan, Deputy Director at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, noted that Nigeria’s labour market can absorb “only about 10 per cent of school leavers into paid employment,” making self-employment not just an option but a necessity for millions.
“Self-employment remains a viable option for many Nigerians,” Akpan said, underscoring the importance of well-trained facilitators in guiding aspiring entrepreneurs, particularly women and informal sector workers, towards sustainable livelihoods.”
In his remarks, the Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Benson Upah, said the congress strongly supports initiatives that promote decent work, protect workers’ rights and address Nigeria’s unemployment crisis.
Upah said the SIYB programme aligns with the labour movement’s push for a systematic approach to employment creation, skills development and lifelong learning, noting that improving the capacity of employment services stakeholders is critical to closing decent work deficits and strengthening labour migration governance in Nigeria.
He said, “for trade unions, the primary concern is the protection and defence of workers’ human and labour rights and the entrenchment of the Decent Work Agenda for all workers.”
Upah expressed optimism that the aim of the programme which is to build a pool of technically proficient and gender and socially inclusive-certified SIYB trainers who will be instrumental in supporting Nigeria’s efforts to address employment and labour market challenges will be achieved, and the identified capacity gaps will be addressed.
The training aligns with the Ministry of Labour and Employment priorities on job creation, youth empowerment, and SMEs development, as outlined in the National Development Plan (2021–2025), the just approved National Employment Policy (NEP) 2025, and National Labour Migration Policy (2020).
