FG inaugurates NBTE board after five-year gap

Nigeria's Federal Government has inaugurated the Governing Board of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), filling a crucial leadership gap that existed for over five years. Alongside this, the government launched a comprehensive reform agenda aimed at revitalizing Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) across the nation.

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The inauguration of this Governing Board is another significant milestone in the implementation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The inauguration ceremony, held in Abuja, saw the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, charge the newly appointed board members with accelerating reforms. These reforms are designed to ensure that technical education closely aligns with current industry demands, modernizes curricula to meet future needs, and effectively certifies skilled artisans. The ultimate goal is to strengthen Nigeria's competitiveness on the global economic stage.

Minister Alausa emphasized that this initiative is a significant milestone in President Bola Tinubu's "Renewed Hope Agenda," which prioritizes education and human capital development as cornerstones of economic transformation. The administration is shifting its focus from an overemphasis on academic certificates to producing graduates equipped with practical skills, innovation, and the competence to drive industrialization and entrepreneurship.

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I am confident that the calibre of individuals appointed will provide the strategic leadership required to strengthen NBTE’s mandate, deepen reforms across the technical education sector and accelerate the Federal Government’s vision of building a globally competitive workforce.

He stressed that TVET should no longer be considered a secondary educational pathway but a strategic national priority. Alausa outlined four key priorities for the board: providing strong strategic leadership, accelerating the Recognition of Prior Learning framework, modernizing curricula for Industry 4.0, and ensuring efficient resource management. The board is also directed to collaborate with the Industrial Training Fund and other stakeholders to advance the Recognition of Prior Learning initiative, which formally acknowledges and certifies the skills of artisans.

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No nation can achieve meaningful industrialisation without a strong base of technicians, technologists, artisans, fabricators, automation specialists, machine operators and other skilled professionals.