The Federal Government has expanded its National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy (NPRGS), using vocational training and digital empowerment to help young Nigerians develop marketable skills and create income-generating opportunities.

The initiative recently reached Oyo State, where 700 beneficiaries were recognised at a graduation ceremony following a training programme organised through the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education.

According to an October 9 statement published by the State House, the beneficiaries comprised 200 trainees who completed vocational courses and another 500 people designated to receive digital tablets to support their participation in the digital economy. The government says its broader target is to lift five million young Nigerians out of poverty through skills acquisition and empowerment programmes.

Speaking at the ceremony in Ibadan, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Technical, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Education, Dr Abiola Arogundade, said the programme was designed to help young people build economic independence rather than depend solely on direct assistance.

Arogundade explained that participants needed practical skills, appropriate tools and opportunities to apply what they had learnt in order to compete in the labour market and establish sustainable businesses.

The Oyo training programme ran from September 28 to October 9, 2026, covering three main areas: graphics design and artificial intelligence, make-up artistry, and fashion design. The programme was organised to address skills gaps, support entrepreneurship and improve participants’ prospects for self-employment.

Of the 200 trainees, 30 received specialised instruction in graphics design and artificial intelligence, while 85 participants trained in make-up artistry and another 85 in fashion design.

The government also provided equipment intended to help graduates put their skills into practice. Graphics and AI trainees received laptops, make-up trainees received professional kits, while fashion design participants were provided with sewing machines and starter materials. The additional 500 beneficiaries were included in the digital empowerment component involving tablets.

Arogundade urged the graduates to view the equipment as a starting point for building viable enterprises. She encouraged them to continue learning, develop their businesses and share their knowledge with others in their communities.

She said the programme was intended to create benefits beyond the initial beneficiaries by encouraging graduates to pass on their skills and help others develop income-generating activities.

The keynote speaker, Mrs Oluronke Shonubi, highlighted the growing relevance of artificial intelligence as businesses and major economies adopt digital technologies across different sectors. She encouraged young people to develop skills that could help them respond to changing workplace demands.

Make-up artistry instructor Rukayat Muhammad also urged participants to take their training seriously and use their equipment productively. She noted that vocational skills could provide a route to financial independence when supported by consistent practice, effective marketing and sound business management.

Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Oyo State, described the training as an opportunity for beneficiaries to build sustainable businesses and potentially create jobs for others. He encouraged the graduates to apply the knowledge gained and make productive use of the support provided.

One of the beneficiaries, Olaleye Idowu, a 400-level International Relations student at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti, said the AI and graphics training had introduced him to the technology’s basic concepts and potential applications.

The NPRGS is being expanded across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones, with training areas selected according to local demand and participants’ needs. The Federal Government has presented the programme as part of its wider effort to tackle poverty by improving employability, encouraging entrepreneurship and widening access to economic opportunities.

However, the number of people trained or supplied with equipment does not, by itself, establish how many have moved out of poverty. The programme’s longer-term impact will depend on whether beneficiaries can use their new skills to secure work, attract customers, build viable businesses and maintain sustainable incomes.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia