The Federal Government has commenced a major repositioning of the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE, to strengthen Nigeria’s technical and vocational education and training, TVET, system in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa on Monday, noting that the reform is aimed at making NBTE more effective in supervising polytechnics, monotechnics and other institutions under its mandate.
Dr. Alausa, according to a statement by Ikharo Attah, Special Adviser (Media and Communications), has constituted a team working with KPMG to undertake a comprehensive assessment of NBTE and develop a functional organisational structure and operational framework.
“The engagement with KPMG was informed by the need to ensure that NBTE is properly structured, both internally and operationally, to provide the leadership, supervision and coordination required to drive technical and vocational education across the country,” he said.
According to the Minister, the exercise is not just an administrative restructuring but “a fundamental step towards repositioning NBTE to effectively drive the development of technical and vocational education and training in Nigeria.”
He added that the findings and recommendations from KPMG will provide a clearer framework to align the agency’s structure with its statutory responsibilities and broader government reforms in TVET.
The Minister stressed that polytechnic education is fundamentally part of the broader TVET ecosystem and should be managed within a skills-focused framework.
“Everything about the polytechnic is technical and vocational education and training. It is all about skills. We are simply discussing skills,” Alausa said.
He said this informed the ongoing review of polytechnic curricula and the development of National Occupational Standards to ensure training aligns with practical skills, industry requirements, and opportunities for employment and enterprise.
The standards, he noted, will establish a clearer skills pathway from artisan-level training through National Certificate, OND and HND programmes.
Dr. Alausa said a properly structured NBTE will be better positioned to strengthen institutional accountability and ensure technical education remains responsive to industry and economic needs.
He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to building a TVET system anchored on practical competence, industry relevance, employability and productivity, adding that the repositioning of NBTE is central to making technical education a major driver of Nigeria’s human capital development.
“The objective is to establish a more efficient, responsive and fit-for-purpose NBTE that can effectively deliver on its mandate and contribute meaningfully to the realisation of President Tinubu’s vision of a skilled, productive and globally competitive Nigerian workforce,” he said.
Providing an industry perspective, Adewale Ajayi, Partner and Head of Tax, Regulatory and People Services at KPMG Africa and KPMG Nigeria, said the assessment highlighted key challenges and opportunities.
He noted that about 93 per cent of Nigeria’s workforce is engaged in informal employment, while approximately 12 per cent of young people are not in education, employment or technical training.
However, Ajayi said Nigeria performs strongly in the employability of TVET graduates, ranking only behind Singapore among assessed markets — an indication of TVET’s potential.
He also said that over 55 per cent of existing curricula are outdated, citing funding constraints and the five-year review cycle as contributing factors.
He welcomed the recent update of the agriculture curriculum as a positive step.