FG Expands Poverty Reduction Programme To Oyo, Enugu, Kebbi

The Federal Government has expanded its National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy to Oyo, Enugu and Kebbi states, with 600 youths expected to receive practical skills training as part of efforts to tackle unemployment and reduce poverty.

The programme, being implemented by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, is designed to support the Federal Government’s target of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within 10 years through economic growth, skills development and targeted social protection.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on TVEE, Dr Abiola Arogundade, said the initiative was a key component of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, stressing that young Nigerians should be viewed as a major resource for national development.

Arogundade said the programme recorded strong participation during its pilot phase in Abuja, which began on June 30, 2025, with training in cybersecurity, web development and solar energy installation. More than 7,000 applications were reportedly received for the Abuja phase, while participants were provided with laptops and certificates after completing the training.

Under the latest expansion, Oyo State will host training from September 28, 2026, in graphics and artificial intelligence design, makeup and fashion designing.

In Enugu State, participants will receive training in makeup, solar energy installation and fashion designing, while Kebbi State will offer courses in graphics and artificial intelligence design, fashion designing and yoghurt production as part of its agriculture training.

The government said the training sessions would run for between 10 days and two weeks, with 200 beneficiaries expected in each participating location. The skills offered are selected based on local market demand, relevance and the preferences of trainees.

Participants will also receive starter equipment to enable them to put their newly acquired skills into practice after the training. These include laptops for graphics and AI trainees, makeup kits, sewing machines and fashion starter kits, as well as fermentation kits for beneficiaries trained in yoghurt production.

The Federal Government said the programme is aimed at equipping young Nigerians with marketable skills, reducing unemployment and underemployment, promoting entrepreneurship and strengthening self-reliance.

Arogundade urged state governments, traditional rulers, community leaders and private sector organisations to support the initiative as the government expands the programme to more states across the country.