In a move to address Nigeria’s growing skills gap, the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAE) have formalised a partnership aimed at revolutionising the country’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector.
The collaboration, marked by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in Abuja on Monday, seeks to enhance the quality and availability of technical skills vital to national development.
Speaking at the event, Executive Secretary, TETFund, Arch. Sonny Echono, stressed the urgency of translating Nigeria’s policies on TVET into actionable outcomes. “We have been paying lip service to the promotion of TIVET for years. Many polytechnics still offer courses disconnected from technical education, and the facilities are outdated,” he noted.
He added that the partnership will bridge these gaps and provide the necessary infrastructure for meaningful change.
Earlier, President of the NAE, Engr. Rahamon Adisa Bello, highlighted the critical shortage of technicians and artisans, describing the MoU as the beginning of an urgent effort to address this imbalance. “The lack of technicians is the most significant barrier to development in the engineering sector,” he said, underscoring the importance of the recently launched National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) in addressing this issue.
Also present, President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr. Margaret Oguntala, praised the MoU as a crucial step towards national development. “Without engineering and technical education, there can be no true progress,” she affirmed.
