ABUJA, FCT– The National Directorate of Work (NDE) has actually participated in a strategic decade-long collaboration with the Building Craftsmen Training School (FELINES) to gear up one million Nigerian youths with professional building abilities.
The collaboration was formalized in Abuja on Monday, March 16, 2026, with the finalizing of a Memorandum of Comprehending (MoU) for the ambitious “Project 1 Million Building Craftsmen Training Vision 2036.”
The initiative is developed to bridge the widening skills gap in Nigeria’s building and civil engineering sectors while supplying a sustainable pathway to entrepreneurship for the nation’s burgeoning youth population.
Under the regards to the MoU, the training will be supplied totally free of charge to all certified participants. The program is totally funded by CATS and its consortium of partners, getting rid of the financial barriers that frequently avoid vulnerable youths from accessing high-quality occupation education.
Task Lead of CATS, Dr. Olayemi Rotimi-Shodimu, explained the collaboration as a game-changer. He noted that Nigeria’s construction sector is proliferating, yet it stays heavily reliant on artisanal labor that often lacks official accreditation and modern-day technical understanding.
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By standardizing training through this partnership, the job aims to make sure that Nigerian artisans can compete globally and handle intricate infrastructure jobs generally scheduled for foreign companies.
The Director-General of NDE, Silas Agara, highlighted that the effort straight aligns with the agency’s mandate to curb unemployment.
He highlighted the ripple effect of the program, noting that for each master artisan trained, a number of indirect tasks are developed in the supply chain.
“Equipping youths with useful skills contributes to financial growth and social stability,” Agara specified. He added that the program is a proactive procedure to minimize youth participation in criminal activity and drug abuse by providing a dignified and lucrative means of livelihood.
The launch of Vision 2036 marks among the biggest employment interventions in West Africa, positioning the construction market as a main engine for Nigeria’s economic agenda.